Rough Around the Edges
by lifizzell
Summary: You're either one of the living or one of the dead. Jordyn Ryder preferred being around the dead because she hated feeling. What happens when a hunter comes into her life and makes her feel something with her permission? The world is falling apart but other things are built. Daryl/OC story.
1. Chapter 1 - Eyes Open

**(A/N):** Hey, everyone! How's everything going? This isn't my first fanfic writing, but this is my first writing for The Walking Dead. This will be between Daryl and my OC. I hope that I can try to write Daryl and everyone else as close to their characters as possible. This will follow the start of season 4, but I don't know how long it will go on for, and I will be adding it scenes that didn't happen in the series. Anyway, hearing from you guys will definitely help, and I hope you guys like this story!

Also, if you guys have any questions, then I'll do my best to answer them! If I get any information wrong, then let me know, and I'll gladly fix it. I'm trying to do as much research as possible for my OC.

 **Chapter 1** : Eyes Open

Everything in the Georgia woods was quiet. It was a strange occurrence considering the apocalypse and all. Blonde hair whipped around quickly following a head that was constantly on a swivel. Jordyn Ryder was running and dodging low hanging branches and fallen trees while constantly making sure no one or thing was following her. She traveled alone but she wasn't a superhero, so whenever a horde moved through her area she moved out as quick as she could. This time wasn't any different.

She jumped over another fallen log and moved quickly behind a tree thick enough to cover her. She leaned against the tree gasping for air with her eyes closed. She was used to running and hiding when necessary. Her chest was still heaving, but there wasn't a sound of gasping. Ryder was used to being as quiet as possible. In this world, if you were loud and stupid then you were as good as dead.

Ryder held her breath listening for the crashing and moaning of walkers behind her. When she didn't hear anything, she allowed herself to breathe. She looked behind the tree looking to see if she was truly alone and sure enough she had lucked out with keeping the horde from following her.

She pulled away from the tree and started walking the way that she had been running too. She was planning on heading East anyway she just didn't need to be running to an unknown destination. She put her crossbow strap around her chest not bothering carrying her weapon deciding to use her machete instead.

Rick was walking through the woods casually but still keeping watch. He needed to get away from the prison and the people inside for a few minutes. He had told Hershel he was emptying the snares which he was doing, but it didn't hurt taking a little extra time than necessary. He walked along the wire line of the snare trap stuffing a rabbit in his bag. Up ahead he could see that a deer was caught in the line and he was happy that he had more venison that Daryl didn't have to go out hunting for. He walked up to the deer, but he noticed that the deer was chewed in half. Half was still hung up in the snare, but the other half was laying a couple feet away. He sighed running his hand through his hair frustrated.

He turned away from the mess deciding to deal with it when he was done making his rounds and resetting traps. He was walking to other traps when he noticed there was grunting coming from an open area. He walked quietly to the clearing keeping his eyes open making sure there wasn't someone else around. He could tell that no one had killed the boar but that there was something else wrong with it. Rick was going to walk farther up to it to check it out more and put the thing out of its misery, but there was a rustling come from behind him.

He turned quickly putting his hand on his python resting at his hip. Before he could pull his gun, he was met with the end of a crossbow in his face. For a split second, he thought of Daryl but he wasn't out there with him since he was on a run with other people of the group and for sure wouldn't be pointing his bow at him.

Rick looked at the bow and then the person holding it. He noticed that there was a girl a few inches shorter than he was with a scowl marring her face. He watched her trying to get a read. She was blonde with blue eyes, but her blonde hair was more red and black than blonde. The only reason he could see she was blonde was the fact that there were pieces of bleach blonde sticking out. There was a scar over her left eye through her eyebrow. It wasn't pleasant looking, but it looked old. He met her eyes and was surprised with how cold they were. Her eyes were brighter than the sky on a sunny day, but he could see the ferocity in them and the wildness swirling in them. Most likely caused by this world. Her face was covered with black and red blood from killing walkers and not being able to wash off. He knew what it was like and he felt for her. She wasn't young by any means, but he couldn't pinpoint how old she was under all that blood and dirt. He looked down and noticed a rough, jagged scar over the left side of her throat. He winced more to himself because it was still slightly pink, so it wasn't new, but it wasn't an old wound either. That also wasn't done by a walker. That wound was done by a living person. By the way she looked just from her face, he knew she was a survivor, and she most likely wasn't going to be soft around people either. He didn't get a chance to look at her more closely before his eyes met hers again and she seemed more pissed off if that was possible.

The bow was shoved more in his face, and his hands shot up trying to keep her from killing him. Hopefully, she would talk to him. "Who're you?"

She scoffed from behind her bow. "You're the one with a weapon in your face. I'm the one asking questions. Now, who are you?"

He thought for a minute before answering. He was hesitant to tell her anything, but there was something about her that kept her from seeming dangerous… to humans at least. Well, he hoped so. "Rick Grimes."

A look of realization crossed over her face. "I thought I recognized who you were. You are part of that group living in the prison." She dropped her bow from his face.

Hesitantly and surprised he started to drop his hands slowly. First, he had never met someone to not be on edge with someone new in this world in their presence. Second, she knew he was in the prison. "How did you know?"

She looked at him like he was stupid and the scowl stayed on her face even though her weapon was down by her side. "You don't exactly have a small group. I came across the prison and noticed the setup you guys had." She shrugged putting her crossbow over her shoulder on her back. She pulled out her machete from her side turning around starting to walk away from him

He watched her incredulously. He watched her walking away, and he could now see the other weapons the woman had. She had her crossbow around her back. She also had what looked like a small ax on her left hip. He couldn't tell fully, but then on her right hip was where she kept her machete. Then, on her right thigh, there was a gun holster which held a pistol. He couldn't let her leave. Not until he talked to her and tried to figure out more about this strange woman who kept surprising him. "Wait. Hold on. Where are you going?" She didn't stop at his words and kept walking away from him. He walked forward a few steps keeping her in his sight. "Is your last name Dixon by chance?"

She stopped and turned around looking at him like he was a complete idiot and he had lost his mind. She still didn't say anything to him.

"Hold on a minute." He was hoping she would at least talk with him.

She stopped and turned around fully facing him now.

"Will you tell me your name?"

She was watching him. She had watched him when she found out there was a group living in the prison. She had watched a few of the people who milled about in the prison actually. They didn't seem harmful, so she didn't bother with the group initially. She didn't know that she had found the group's leader when she first held the man at the end of her bow. If she had recognized him, she wouldn't have engaged him considering he didn't even know she was there until she wanted him to hear her. Ryder was debating if she should tell him her name. She was better off alone but him knowing her name wouldn't necessarily hurt. She sighed knowing that he wouldn't let up with the questions and he would follow her if she tried walking away again. Annoying man. "…Not like it will matter, but it's Jordyn Ryder. Just call me Ryder."

Rick was pleased that he was able to get her to talk even a little bit. "How long have you known we were in the prison?" He could tell that she was paying attention to him, but she was also on alert around them. She was cautious but not with him. She either knew their group, and that made him nervous, or she knew what she was doing. He hoped that it was the latter.

She just shrugged. "About a month or so."

His eyebrows skyrocketed at her answer. "You've known for a month but haven't contacted any of us? If you have been watchin' us and I guarantee you have so don't lie then you know that we take in outsiders."

"I have been watching your group. I wouldn't have denied it." She snapped. She was losing her patience with Rick quickly. Mainly because he was asking a lot of questions, but all she wanted to do was leave. "I know you bring in people, but I don't need you or your group. I'm fine on my own, and I prefer to be on my own." She turned and started to walk away from him again trying to shut down the conversation.

He stepped forward again. "Ryder!"

She whipped around more forcefully than the first time. He could see the fury in her eyes. "Leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you or your group."

Rick put his hands up in front of him again trying to calm the situation down. He wasn't expecting the sudden fierce anger from the woman. He just wanted to ask her the questions. He was more curious about this woman the more that he was left in her presence. "I've got three questions for you. Will you answer them?"

Ryder didn't try to hide the roll of her eyes. She just wanted to leave. She needed to find a house or some place to hold up for a few days. This was why she hated people. They didn't know when to shut up and leave well enough alone. Her stare met his, and she studied him. Finally, she nodded her head once telling him to go ahead.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

She stared at him not saying anything. "That's the dumbest question to ask someone out here."

Rick once again was surprised by her response. He had never once gotten a response like that before. She was an interesting person. He just wished she would stop being so difficult with him. He kept holding her gaze waiting for her response.

Ryder rolled her eyes again. "I don't count. Apparently enough that I'm still alive right now… and enough to be covered in their grossness." She grimaced remembering that she still hadn't been able to get cleaned up.

So far so good. "How many people have you killed?" She shut down away from him when the words left his mouth. She turned from noncaring to defensive in the blink of an eye. He was hoping that he would be able to bring them back to their group, but he couldn't bring someone back who was dangerous and could potentially be harmful to their group.

It took her a minute to think about her answer. She could lie to this man. She wasn't going to go back with him, and she wasn't expecting to see him ever again. If she gave him the wrong answer, he could try to kill her. Her eyes left his glancing down to the python leaning against his hip. Her eyes shot back up to his face. She could most likely draw faster than him if she needed to. She didn't want to have to kill him, but if she feared for her life, then she wouldn't hesitate. She decided that she didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to tell him the full truth. "Ten." She could see him back away a step from her.

Ten? That was a substantial number of people she had killed. Rick glanced back at her neck and her eyebrow. She had been through the ringer, but she still didn't feel dangerous like other people he had questioned before. He and Daryl brought many people into their group, so they are used to coming across and reading people. He hadn't had anyone tell him they had killed more than five people which made him hesitate but there was something about her. If he took the time to think about it, she reminded him of Daryl. They both held themselves the same way. They both had the same eyes that had known death, loss and destruction. He could tell from her earlier outburst that she had a temper as he also did. Thankfully, his temper had calmed down for the most part.

Ryder watched his face while he was thinking. She noticed the step back and the hesitation in his face and stance. She sighed knowing this reaction. It's a good thing she didn't tell him the full truth. She started to back away from him again turning and walking. She was done with this conversation. He was wasting her time.

Rick noticed she was leaving again. He leaped forward grabbing her covered wrist trying to keep her from leaving, but as he touched her arm, he saw the world spin disorientating him. His arm was locked behind his back with cold metal pressed against his throat. She hissed into his ear. "Don't you fucking touch me again." She pushed him away from her making him land on the ground. She had to hand it to him though. He was able to get to his feet quick enough. "What's your last fucking question?"

He kept his hand on his python ready to draw if she attacked him. He wasn't expecting that reaction from her. "Why?"

She scowled at him more if that was possible. "Why do we kill anything? To survive. They people that I killed deserved everything that came to them. I'm not going to explain myself to you or anyone." She started walking away again needing to get away from him.

"We've got room in the prison. There's fences, other people, food, and water. It's safe there. You won't have to run every day tryin' to survive."

She didn't stop walking away from him throwing her hand up waving him off. "I don't need anyone. I have survived by myself since this started. I don't need other people. I'm safest by myself. When you start relying on other people is when you are most vulnerable to death."

He began to follow her but making sure to keep his distance, so he didn't upset her again. "More things can happen, but you will also have people lookin' out for you."

She didn't bother stopping or turning around. "Shut up, Rick. Leave me alone."

"This world is dead, and there are three types of people left. The walkers, the bad people, and the good people. The good people need to stick together, or there'll only be two left… the bad and the walkers."

She stopped at that. She did give him credit. He had a way with words, but it still didn't convince her to join them. She hated the walkers, but she could argue that she hated living people more. Walkers only ate. That was their base function. Living people, on the other hand, didn't just eat. They talked and gossiped. They caused unnecessary drama for everyone around them. Then, there were the feelings. Guilt, regret purpose, protection, friendship… love. These were all things that got people killed, and she personally liked not being walker food.

"Look, I can tell you are more than capable. I don't know how long you have been surviving by yourself, but I can see it's been a while. You know weapons it seems, and you're smart… I think." He couldn't get a full read on her but the way she was acting she was very aware of her skills. It made her seem stupid, but he could see that she was analyzing every situation. "You'd make a great addition to the camp. Most people we bring back want to stay in the safety of the prison. They don't scavenge and make runs."

"That's not my problem Rick and flattery won't get you anywhere in this situation so just stop talking." She turned and looked over her shoulder watching him making sure he knew she wasn't falling for his sweet words and compliments.

"Just stay a few days. Try it out. If you don't like bein' there, then I won't bother you anymore, and you can leave in peace. While you're there, you will have food, and you can finally get rid of that walker blood on you."

She turned fully facing him finally somewhat intrigued by his offer now. She wasn't going to stay, but she could use some food for a few days. Also, a shower wouldn't be too bad or at least a place to clean off. Ryder stood there watching him making sure that he wasn't trying anything. She didn't trust him or anyone in that camp, but she will give him a chance at least. After a few minutes of tense silence and staring she nodded her head toward the prison making him lead her. She knew where the prison was, but it would be weird if she lead him instead of him leading her.

There was a slight smirk on Rick's face as he turned and started walking back to the prison. He looked over his shoulder making sure that she had followed him and sure enough she was following him, but she was tense and hesitant.

She was watching his back and his muscles. She could see if he was going to attack, but he seemed relaxed well, as comfortable as you could be with walkers everywhere. "You plan on asking me more questions?"

"Not plannin' on it right now but there will probably be questions from other members of the group when we get back."

They kept walking for a few more minutes. They broke through the edge of the forest walking along the fence. Ryder looked over at the prison, and she could see people milling about outside. It seemed like they forgot what the world was truly like now. They seemed cozy behind their walls. When they get too cozy is when people die. They were walking along the side of the fence closing in on the entrance when she noticed there was a kid running along the inside of the fence. He was young but looked mature for his age. What kid wasn't at this time though? Everyone grew up now, or they died. He was running to the entrance and grabbing thick rope pulling on it.

She looked forward up the road, and she noticed there were cars on their way back being lead by a motorcycle heading toward the entrance. The young kid opened the doors as the cars entered and Rick and Ryder followed behind the vehicles. Rick ran over and helped the boy pull on the other rope closing the steel entrance doors. Ryder stood there watching everyone and everything around her. She could see some people had noticed the cars come back, but their attention was turned on her now since she was new.

Daryl wasn't in the mood to be dealing with people right now. They had lost someone on this run, and they didn't get much in supplies. Those damn walkers on the roof really messed up the plans they had for supplies. They were driving back when he noticed Rick walking to the entrance, but he wasn't alone. There was someone knew with him and at first, he couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl, but when they drove through the entrance, he could make out a ponytail and figured it was a girl.

He didn't get a great look, but he could tell that she seemed different from the other women in the prison. She was lethal with all those weapons attached to her, but she wasn't scrawny either which was surprising in and of itself. He pegged Rick about 5' 10" the same as himself and she wasn't that much shorter at probably 5' 8".

They pulled the vehicles back into their spots. Everyone piled out and started unloading, but he got off his bike and started heading down to the entrance gate to figure out what the hell was going on. Rick barely brought people back anymore since he hadn't been going out on runs. That meant he found her by the prison. She was by herself which was rare, and he didn't believe that she was out by herself wondering around.

He walked down and met the two about halfway between the entrance and the prison. He could tell that she was built for a girl. She seemed out of place in the apocalypse. She was skinny but also broad. She had on big combat boots that were quite obviously worn. She had tight jeans which made her thick calves more prominent. Her thighs weren't skinny either. She was in no way overweight. It was hard to be overweight when it was rare to eat twice a day on rations. Even more rare to eat at least once a day living out in the woods with no one. She had to be all muscle if she still had the body structure that he thought she did. It was hard to tell on her upper torso. She was wearing a leather jacket zipped up but an actual leather jacket. Not some shit that was flashy and showy that someone would have spent $100 for to be fashionable. Under the leather, he could see an army green tank top, and he couldn't be sure, but there might have been a hint of a tattoo.

He scowled at her not trusting the newcomer even though Rick brought her in. Ryder noticed Daryl's face, and she met him with a scowl matching in intensity.

Rick saw them and rolled his eyes. "Ryder this is Daryl..."

Daryl scoffed. "What kind of a first name is Ryder."

Ryder didn't respond to his insult. She didn't want to deal with people much less this redneck who knew nothing about her. She didn't need to explain anything to him. She didn't even care if she knew his name. She did recognize his gruff exterior though. From what she could tell when she was watching the prison from afar he was second in command. He was the one that went out on the runs.

"Her first name is Jordyn. She prefers Ryder though." Rick was answering for her. Apparently, she didn't want to answer for herself. He was hoping that the girl version of Daryl would be able to get along with him because they would make a damn good team if they would just get along.

Daryl scoffed watching her but talking to Rick. "Did you ask her the questions."

Rick crossed his arms. "Killed more walkers than she can count. Killed 10 people all because they were bad people and she needed to survive."

"She out there by herself?" He turned from her looking at Rick.

"She said she was out there alone. Said she came across the prison about a month back."

Daryl's eyebrows raised slightly. She knew they were there but didn't come to them. If she were watching them, then she would have known they brought people in. "Are ya allowin' 'er to keep 'er weapons right off the bat or is she on a trial run?" He looked back at her catching her eye roll.

Ryder was tired of the questions, but she was more tired of people staring and the heat. "Can we go inside? I'm sick of standing here feeling eyes on me. I'll answer your stupid ass questions if they aren't too personal when we get in the building."

Rick looked at Daryl asking him silently what he thought. Daryl simply shrugged his shoulders telling Rick to do what he wanted to do. He was the one that brought her in. Rick watched him for a moment then turned and nodded his head toward the prison. Ryder started to follow Rick and Daryl following the rear so he could keep an eye on her. He trusted Rick's judgment, but he didn't trust the woman in front of him. They hadn't come across someone like her in a long time, so they needed to be careful. She could be very dangerous to the group if they weren't.

Rick walked into C block going over to one of the tables resting a foot on the seat of the table. He watched the girl walk in looking around watching for any threats. She scanned the room and the people who were there quickly. Daryl came up and stood next to him crossbow still on his back matching her. He stood with his arms crossed. They seemed to be analyzing each other and their movements making sure they weren't a threat. Rick smirked to himself. "I know I brought you here, but Daryl did bring up a good point. Our people would feel safer if you handed over your weapons. When you go on a run, you can bring them with you. After the couple days whether you decide to stay or leave you will get them back."

Daryl looked at Rick. "Watcha mean whether she decides to stay or leave?"

Ryder decided she should hold up her end of the bargain. "I'm staying here for a trial run. After a few days, I get to choose whether I decide to stay or not."

Daryl was watching Rick. He didn't know what the man was thinking with this deal. They hadn't made a deal like that before. He also was dumbfounded that someone would choose to be out there by themselves and not in the safety of the walls.

Ryder saw that Rick was waiting patiently for her decision and Daryl seemed confused. She didn't care. She sighed. She didn't like being unarmed, and she didn't trust them still, but she didn't see the harm. It wasn't like they were locking them away. They were just looking out for their own. The blonde woman grabbed the crossbow from her back and laid it on the table in the middle of them. She grabbed the machete and laid it on the table not bothering with taking off her carrier. The men kept watching her, but she smirked inwardly. They were curious about her weapons. She then grabbed the tomahawk that was on her left side and laid it with the other weapons. She lifted her right leg and found her way into her pant leg grabbing the small knife she kept in her boot tossing it on the table. She noticed that Rick's eyebrows rose more with every weapon she added to the pile. She grabbed her gun but held it for a few minutes watching the men. "Nothing happens to my weapons but more importantly only Rick touches my gun." She made a point to direct her words to Daryl.

The leather clad man rolled his eyes scoffing at her not answering. Ryder kept staring at him waiting for his reply. He looked at Rick, and he was also watching him. "Ya, fine. Whatever. Just hurry up."

She pulled her gun from the holster handing it to Rick. She only trusted the group's leader with her most valuable item.

Rick looked at the Desert Eagle .50 AE in his hands. He was surprised that she had a gun with that much power. Of course, his surprise vanished when he thought about it. She hadn't done anything he had expected today so his surprise no longer stuck. This woman was interesting, to say the least. "Why the .50?"

She shrugged crossing her arms. She was done pulling out weapons so now she just needed to answer their questions. She glanced from Rick to Daryl and back to Rick. She could see other people watching them, but it was fewer than there were outside, so it wasn't too bad. "Well, what's the most common bullet type that you guys have around here?"

Rick looked amused with the question. "I would say 9mm. There are multiple handguns around here."

"They may make more 9mm ammo because it's popular, but it isn't the only type of ammo. When the apocalypse came and scavengers were running around looking for things they would grab ammo. They grabbed the ammo for their guns, and it's easiest carrying a handgun. That would mean having 9mm. People glanced over the .50 cal ammo. So that's why the .50."

Daryl didn't show he was impressed, but he was. He looked over at Rick, and he could tell the man felt the same way he did. The only difference is that Rick wasn't hiding his feelings. He looked back and the girl, but she didn't seem fazed. She may know they were impressed, but she didn't appear to care what they thought of her. He didn't care about her weapons though. He needed to get information about herself to make himself feel better. "How long have you been alone out there."

"If I had a choice I would have been alone since this hell started."

That response caused both men to look at her in confusion.

She sighed rolling her eyes again. She hated explaining herself. "I avoid people. I don't join up with groups, and then the people who won't leave me alone are usually people that don't deserve to live."

Daryl was watching her reactions, but he couldn't read her. If she was lying, she was doing a good job with deceiving them. "You don't have any family out there?"

Her eyes hardened sensing the questions were going to get personal. "No."

All three of them were quiet after that. They noticed the mood change around her, and they didn't want to push her.

She was watching both men but relaxed slightly. "We will be fine as long as you don't ask me personal questions and as long as no one touches me. There won't be an issue if those two things are followed." She took a moment and decided that they were going to see sooner or later so why the hell not just get it over with. She stood up straighter taking off her pack. She unzipped her leather jacket. Pulling on a sleeve and taking it off revealed two arms worth of tattoos. Ryder laid her jacket on top of the pile of her weapons watching both of their eyes roam over her arms and chest. She was used to people looking. Before the outbreak, she had been a real tattoo junky. There were even more than they could see but she wasn't going to go out of her way to show her bottom half.

Daryl watched her take off her jacket and came face to face with two large sleeves. He was more surprised he hadn't come across more people inked up like she was. Hell, he even had a few of them. Nothing on the scale of what she had though. He was right from earlier there was something tattooed on her chest. If you could name something dark and twisted, then it was probably inked onto this woman. He could see skulls, grim reapers, blood, death, skeletons and monsters intertwined through the artwork.

She cleared her throat. "If these are going to be a problem then I'll leave now. They aren't the most attractive things, and I don't care what adults think about them. I know you guys have children and I don't want to cause problems."

Rick seemed to snap himself out of looking at the artwork and chuckled slightly. "No, don't worry about it. I don't think it will be a problem. If anything, I think the kids would be interested and intrigued by them."

She nodded her head but didn't say anything.

"Well let's get you to your cell. Usually, we would put newcomers in a different cell block, but I don't think anyone would mind you taking a cell in here." Rick walked into the block and lead her upstairs to the far right. "Daryl is staying in the one next to your cell. If you have any questions, then go ahead and ask him. I'm down on the floor level if you need me."

She nodded watching the men. She could see that Daryl was slightly annoyed that she was so close to him, but she didn't give a shit. He could suck it up. Not like she was going to be here for that long anyway.

Rick turned and started to walk away but stopped turning back to her. "Your weapons will be in my cell. Feel free to grab them if you are going to go past the fence. I don't care if you take your bow with you when you inspect the place either."

It was her turn to be surprised. Sure, she was going to examine the place from the inside, but it surprised her that he knew what she was thinking.

He smirked at her. "I saw you watching everything walking up here. I figured you wouldn't feel comfortable until you looked at everything for yourself."

When he was done talking there was crying coming from some place below them in the block. "Duty calls. Daryl will accompany you for your inspection."

Daryl looked over at the scruffy man wondering when he started making all of his decisions for him. He scowled at the man who started to disappear down the stairs. He planned on following her, but that didn't mean she needed to know what he was going to do. Now he was stuck with her knowing his plan.

"Rick said something about being able to clean off these walker guts and shit when he brought me here. Do you think you could lead me to the showers so I can wash? Then you can give me the third degree while I look around."

Daryl watched her for a minute and then lead her to the bathroom after she grabbed her bag and crossbow. Her gun was no longer sitting on the table, so he assumed that Rick took it with him since she was so adamant on only him touching it. She seemed like she was going to be a handful, but he could also see why Rick decided to bring her into the prison. It didn't seem like she was going to be buddying up with anyone soon though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something somewhat familiar about her. He was rather fascinated by her and the way she carried herself. Also, all those damn weapons that she had on her. Choosing to be by herself was also a crazy move nowadays. While he was waiting for her to clean up, he was looking around watch the other people move in and out of the prison. He watched the women mostly. They were all mostly skinny and small. Some were taller than others, but still, they didn't have much meat on them. He couldn't really say anything though because the food that they had wasn't much in the way of nutritional. The fittest one out there was Michonne, and she worked out every day to his knowledge. They were about the same in height, but if you compared their body type, it didn't hold up. When Ryder had taken off her jacket, he could see the muscles that were left. There wasn't much fat since her body had nearly burned it off, but she was built for a woman. The thought that she was a bodybuilder came to mind but considering her attitude and the way she carried herself it wasn't likely.

He shook his head getting rid of his thoughts. He didn't need to be thinking this hard on the topic of the newcomer. If she pulled her own weight, then it won't be an issue having her here. Hopefully, she didn't cause any trouble for anyone… especially him.


	2. Chapter 2 - Surrounded but Alone

**(A/N):** How's everything going? After I finished the last chapter my brain wouldn't shut off with ideas so I decided to write another chapter. Here's more of Jordyn! She be rough but I hope you guys grow to love her! Thanks, everyone and as always hearing from you is always a major plus for me.

 **Chapter 2:** Surrounded but Alone

Since showers or any running water was scarce nowadays, Ryder didn't even care if it was cold. She was used to washing off in ponds or in any source of water. Most of the time she didn't get to wash off, and she just collected dirt, grime, and blood until it would rain. She was grateful that the prison had some type of water system that allowed people to clean up and wash off. She looked down at her inked-up feet. Under her feet, she could see a swirl of red and black as the remembrance of the outside was washed away from her skin. She turned as the water poured over her long bleach blonde hair regaining its bright color.

She sighed for the umpteenth time that day and closed off the water. She pulled on her underwear and pulled on a black tank top not bothering with her leather jacket. Ryder took a minute deciding whether she wanted to wear her shorts or if she should put another pair of jeans on. She didn't care what people thought of her or her ink. The problem was her artwork wasn't flowers and bright colors. It was dark and twisted as she was. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve, but instead, she wore her soul on her body. Most people that knew her didn't even know most of the meanings behind everything covering her body. They always thought when she would get a new tattoo it was because she liked the design.

Ryder grabbed her jean shorts in a split decision deciding that she had made Daryl wait for her long enough. She grabbed her things and stuffed them into her bag she carried everything in. There wasn't much else considering she moved around so much that too much stuff would slow her down making running more difficult.

She threw her pack on and exited the bathroom crossbow in hand. They had asked her for her weapons, but they seemed lenient about her carrying them. She figured they didn't want her carrying all her weapons around everyone until she proved herself. If they by chance needed to take her down then her only having her crossbow would be easier to deal with instead of her being fully armed.

Ryder walked into C block gaining the attention of people wandering around. She didn't know where Daryl was and she didn't really care. She didn't bother with talking to anyone, but she did keep an account of everyone that seemed to be living in the block. Walking up the stairs, there was a young blonde who was bouncing a baby on her hip. She was paying attention to the baby, but Ryder could tell she was also watching her out of the corner of her eye.

Looking over the rail Ryder could see the young boy from earlier who was also in the cell block. He ran into one cell, grabbing something that she couldn't see. He ran back outside most likely bringing something to someone. She turned and walked back down to her cell. She took a minute to glance into the cell that Daryl was supposedly staying in but she didn't see him in there. It didn't even look like someone was living in that cell so either he didn't nest like other people or he moved cells to get away from her. She smirked to herself. If he didn't want to be around her, then she wouldn't have to worry about him hovering and being a watchdog.

Ryder quickly dropped her stuff off but kept a hold of her bow. She threw it over her shoulder leaning it against her back. One last check and she was out of her cell move quietly around everyone not making eye contact or even bothering acknowledging them. She wasn't going to be here long, so she didn't need to bother with making friends.

She left the building and leisurely made her way towards the edge of the fence. Ryder looked up at the sky as it twisted and turned into oranges, reds, and yellows. The sun was going down, but she would most likely be out here until it rose in the morning. Sleeping wasn't her strength. She chose to live out in the world by herself, but she had to make sacrifices and sleeping had been one of them. One thing that she loved about being in the woods of Georgia though was the smell. When there weren't walkers nearby, she would make sure to take a minute to take in nature around her. She lived in the woods, and that's where she was most comfortable.

Daryl was standing at the edge of the court arms crossed unarmed. He was watching the blonde walk around the perimeter. It was a curious act considering they had been living there for a while and they hadn't had a problem with walkers getting in without them knowing. There had been some incidents, but those were caused by other living humans.

He heard someone come up behind and stand next to him. "How is she doing so far?"

Daryl squinted his eyes at the question. "How the hell am I 'sposed to know? Not her babysitter."

"Daryl, I know you've been watching her."

He scoffed at Rick standing next to him. "Hasn't said a word to anyone. Cleaned up and came out here doin' a perimeter check like ya thought."

Rick turned facing Daryl now. "You planned on going to those apartment complexes, tomorrow right?"

Daryl glanced at Rick but didn't say anything. He didn't need to because he knew what Rick was going to say he just hoped he was wrong.

"I know we lost Zack yesterday, and everyone who went on the run is still tired. You even said you scoped the place out and it seemed easy to scavenge. Why don't you take her with you and see how she does on runs?"

Daryl started to chew on the inside of his lip thinking. "That why ya brought her here?"

There was a slight smile to Rick as he turned watching her walk along the fence line. "More or less. We need more capable people going on runs. I'm sure she's more than capable."

"Yeah, whatever. If somethin' happens, it's on you." Daryl raised his hand to his lips and let out a shrill whistle that got the attention of everyone around him including Ryder. He ignored everyone looking at him but nodded his head towards him and Rick signaling Ryder to come up to them.

Ryder started making her way up to the men that were watching her. It wasn't a surprise she could feel eyes on her when she had been making her rounds. She just didn't know who those eyes belonged to, but she had a pretty good guess. She met with the men watching them waiting for one of them to speak on why they called her away from being alone.

Rick was the first to speak. "Ryder, I want you to go with Daryl tomorrow to an apartment complex. We need supplies and Daryl checked it out a few days ago and said, it was clear for the most part."

She raised her eyebrows. "Just the redneck and me going?"

Daryl scoffed at her. "Got a problem with it you can leave now."

She smirks at him. "Just wondering. Don't want people slowing me down."

"Slowi…"

Rick stepped closer to them trying to keep the peace. "Alright, you two that's enough. Yes, it will just be the two of you going. You will probably be gone for the day tomorrow. I'll be awake when you guys leave so just come by the cell to grab the rest of your weapons. That work for you Ryder?"

She nodded her head once leaving the men standing still. Ryder was tired of standing around having curious eyes on her. The place seemed safe enough for her, so she was going to go to her cell. She wasn't going to be sleeping, but it was the only place set away from everyone.

Ryder walked through the cell block passing by everyone that lived there. She went up the stairs and went into her cell only to be greeted by a taller woman with shoulder length brunette hair. They met eyes, and she was met instantly with a sweet smile.

Maggie walked up to Ryder with her hand out. "My names Maggie Greene. We haven't had a chance to meet yet."

Ryder just watched the woman's hand. She didn't like touching people or having them touch her, but she didn't want to be a complete bitch to people who tried to put effort into talking to her. Hesitantly she leaned forward and shook hands with Maggie but pulling away almost instantly.

"So, how long were you out there alone?"

Ryder shrugged her shoulders. "A while. How'd you guess?"

"For one I saw you checking the fence making sure it was secure. I also noticed the way you hold yourself. It's hard to tell, but if someone were payin' attention, they would see how guarded you are with everyone."

"I guess I'm something to talk about around the prison… great. Don't you guys get new people all the time? I'm not the most interesting one that has walked through those gates." Being with a group of people always caused gossip and talking. She was happy that she would be going on that run with Daryl tomorrow so she wouldn't have to be with everyone. He also didn't talk much, so that was also a plus.

Maggie just simply smiled at her. "That's true. Daryl usually brings back new people, but it's not every day that a female version of Daryl comes around." Ryder squinted her eyes grabbing the strap on her crossbow watching the brunette, but it just caused Maggie to laugh. "See you have the squint and stance down. It's perfect." Maggie seemed nice, but right now she was bothering Ryder. She needed to leave and be away from everyone for a little while.

"'Kay well have fun with that. If Rick comes to find me tell him I'm going hunting." Ryder turned walking away from her cell, but she heared more laughing coming from her cell causing her to roll her eyes.

Walking back down the stairs she noticed Daryl walking into the block. Their eyes meet for a split second, but she turned walking into Rick's cell hoping that he wasn't going to follow her, but another part knew he was going to.

She was sheathing her machete and grabbing her tomahawk when she looked up and saw Daryl standing in the entrance of the cell watching her leaning against the edge of the door. "Watcha doin'?"

"Does it matter?" She turned around grabbing her other knife pushing it into her combat boot pulling her pant leg down to cover it. Lastly, she grabbed her handgun pushing it into the holster on her thigh. She stood up grabbing her crossbow and walked up to Daryl, but he didn't move. "How about stepping aside."

"Leavin' already? Thought you were stayin' for a couple days." Daryl still didn't move for her.

"Like I said. It's none of your business." She looked up at him staring him down waiting for him to give and move.

Daryl looked down at the woman not moving until she told him what he wanted to know. It seemed like they were stuck in an old-fashion standoff and he was going to win.

"If you don't move then I'll make you move. I don't want to hurt you or embarrass you in front of your friends but I will."

Daryl scoffed standing up straight but still not moving out of her way. "I'd like to see you try."

Ryder bristled at his words. This stupid redneck was the most infuriating person that she knew but considering she didn't know many people it wasn't a long list. She glanced behind him noticing that they're not so quiet talking had gained them a small audience. She turned away from him slightly and before he could react her right leg came up and made contact with his gut. He responded by bending over his hand shooting to his stomach where her foot had made contact. Once he was focused on his own injury, she pushed on his shoulder moving him to the side out of the way. She would have felt sorry for him since he was just doing what he was told and watching her but she didn't kick him that hard. It was just enough for him to move the hell out of her way.

Ryder walked past the now fuming Daryl Dixon but not caring too much. "Told ya." The crowd that had gathered around them was stunned into silence that someone had actually done something to the gruff man. Also, someone, who was new that could get kicked out back into the woods if they weren't careful.

The blonde woman walked out of the building for the second time that night crossbow in hand. She was walking down to the main entrance, but about halfway to the gate, she felt something wrap around her wrist, and her body went into panic mode instantly. She yanked her hand free from the grip while turning with her crossbow pointed at the head of the person grabbing her.

Two pairs of blue eyes met both full of fury. "I said don't touch me!"

Daryl stepped back half a step breathing hard. He couldn't tell if it was from the rage of her hitting him or from the run to catch her, but he assumed it was the former.

Ryder dropped her crossbow catching herself trying not to go into a panic attack after he grabbed her. "Just leave me alone." She started walking away from the infuriating redneck needing to be alone now.

"Where the hell you goin' right now… at night?"

She didn't stop moving to the entrance. "Away from all of you. I need to go where I feel most comfortable."

He looked at her back like she had an extra head. How the hell could she feel comfortable outside of the fence. Sometimes he needed to get away from everyone in the prison, and he didn't mind going beyond the barrier but damn. Even he didn't feel exactly comfortable out there with people who were crazy and the walkers. "Pfft, stupid woman." He watched her walk out of the entrance turning heading straight into the woods. He looked up at the sky that was black for the most part shaking his head.

Daryl opened his eyes looking at the bed above him. It was rare that he slept through the night. He didn't get a great night's sleep, but at least it was something. After his run in with Ryder yesterday he had gone back to his cell. She was the strangest woman he had ever come across. She didn't seem like she had a problem talking to people when she did have to interact, but she never chose to interact. She opted to be alone in the Georgia woods when everyone that he had come across would have chosen to be in a group or even with another person. Maybe she was bat shit crazy, and she was able to hide the fact that she was insane. Then, there's the touching. He had a problem with people touching him. That wasn't strange to him. She probably didn't have a great life before the world went to shit. Even after the dead rose, she probably didn't have it easy judging by the scars that marred her body that he could see. What caught his attention was how violent she got when someone touched her. She instantly changed to kill mode. At least if someone touched him when he wasn't expecting it, he flinched away, but he didn't want to rip their head off.

He groaned rubbing his palms into his eyes grumbling to himself. "Can't wait till she's gone." He stood up grabbing his crossbow moving to the cell next him ready to wake her up. To his surprise, she wasn't in her cell. His brows furrowed also noting that there wasn't anything in her cell. It didn't look like she had slept there or even touched the cell after their encounter outside.

He walked outside shifting his crossbow to his back. The sun was out, and everyone was milling about outside enjoying the sun. It wasn't humid today, so he almost felt good compared to the standard southern heat.

He walked up to their makeshift pavilion in the courtyard. People kept saying good morning and hello to him. He wasn't used to it, but they did it pretty much every time they saw him. Daryl walked up to Carol who was at the grill cooking some deer he had shot yesterday.

Carol looked up at him smiling putting some of the meat in a bowl. "Just so you know, I liked you first."

He half rolled his eyes at her. He was used to her poking at him. "Stop." Daryl looked around at everyone walking around. "You know, Rick brought a lot of them, too."

Carol didn't bother looking back up at him. "Not recently. The first person he's brought back in a while was that new blonde girl."

He picked at the meat in the bowl. "Speakin' which. Have ya seen her walkin' 'round today?"

She just shook her head. "The last time I saw her was when she got the best of you." She laughed to herself slightly.

Her response earned her a scowl. "If ya see her let me know. Gotta run today."

"Who else is going with you two?"

Daryl finished off the meat that he had been picking at in the bowl. "Just me and her. It's an easy run. I think Rick wants ta see how she does too."

Carol looks up past him pointing her tongs over his shoulder. "Just be careful. We lost Zack yesterday we don't need to lose you too."

Daryl turned noticing Ryder walking up with her hands in her pockets on the jean shorts she was sporting still armed with all her weapons like he noticed last night. "Where ya been?"

Ryder entered the pavilion standing next to the redneck glancing at the woman cooking behind the grill then looking up meeting his eyes. "Sleeping."

Daryl scowled at her watching her reaction. "That's bullshit, and ya know it."

She just shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I forgot." Ryder was sure that he heard him growl at her under his breath but she wasn't sure.

He was about ready to say something, but Carol decided to step in and try to defuse the situation to the best of her ability. "We haven't met. I'm Carol." The woman smiled wiping her hand on the towel next to her and stuck it out expecting Ryder to shake it.

Ryder looked at the woman then down to her hand. These people were too touchy for her liking. She glanced over at Daryl who had a slight smirk on his face. She reached her hand out hesitantly shaking it quick then dropping it back into her pocket. "Jordyn Ryder. Just call me Ryder." If Carol noticed how she was acting with touching people she didn't say anything which she was grateful.

Daryl watched their interaction. He was about ready to grab her shoulder but stopped himself not wanting her to punch him in the face. "Come on Killer. Let's get goin'."

She didn't say anything to him following him to where she saw the cars earlier. That's the first time someone had given her a nickname. Most people she knew just called her by her last name. They made it to one of the cars which was an SUV type car. There wasn't anyone around to say goodbye as they left which wasn't that surprising since Rick was busy and she didn't think Daryl talked to that many more people than she did. She jumped in the passenger seat laying her crossbow on the floor. She put her combat boots onto the dash in front of her leaning down into her seat looking out the window.

After throwing his stuff into the car, he got in and left the prison. The trip to the apartments was about an hour out so with them leaving early they would be able to stay there as long as they needed hoping to grab as much supplies as they could fit in the trunk.

Daryl had been driving for almost half an hour, and they hadn't said anything to each other. He wasn't complaining considering he didn't mind the quiet but he was used to being the one not answering questions that people bothered him with. He glanced over at Ryder with her feet still leaning on the dashboard. She had been wearing shorts, so it allowed him to see that her legs matched her arms. The tattoos that covered her legs weren't like the ones on her arms though. The ones on her arms were dark in image and art, but the ones on her legs weren't as bad. He was tempted to ask her about them, but he didn't think she would answer. He hadn't learned anything about her other than her name while she was there. Usually, when new people came around, they didn't mind sharing stories to make them seem more personable. They wanted people to like them, but it looked like Ryder didn't care or want people to like her.

Ryder could feel the glances from Daryl. She assumed that he wanted to ask her questions which didn't surprise her but it was annoying. If he wanted to ask her something, then he should just get on with it. It didn't mean that she was going to answer him anyway. "If you want to ask me something then just get on with it. I'm tired of feeling your eyes on me."

He watched her for a few more seconds debating if it was even worth it. "What do your tattoos mean?"

She didn't even bother looking at him. She hadn't stopped watch the trees pass the window since they left the prison. "What ones? I have a couple."

Daryl rolled his eyes. Of course, she was going to make this difficult for him. "How 'bout the one coverin' your left leg?"

After his question, she looked down finally looking at something other than what was outside of the car. She didn't say anything though. All she did was shrug her shoulders.

He noticed her shrug which only helped annoy him further. "How 'bout why ya choose to be by yourself out there." He made a gesture with his head motioning to the forest.

Ryder sighed tired of 20 questions already. She wasn't going to be able to get away from the questions. They were spending the day together, and he was going to try to keep asking her. Before they left she was actually happy she was going on this trip with just Daryl. She wasn't so sure anymore since he was just as annoying with questions. "Why does it matter?"

"Just tryin' to figure somethin' out 'bout ya."

"I'm leaving in a few days, so it doesn't matter if you get to know me."

That's it. He was done with trying to extend an olive branch. He tried being civil with her, but she obviously didn't want to do the same in any capacity. "Whatever."

Ryder heard the annoyance in his voice. She turned her head from the window looking over at him. She rolled her eyes when she saw how annoyed he was with her. "I like being by myself because it's easier."

"What 'bout when a herd moves through?"

She looks back to the window shrugging her shoulders again. "Just run. If you notice it quick enough, you can run or hide before they notice your presence."

"What 'bout if a group of people move through your area?"

"If they are dangerous, they die. If they aren't I move away from them. Simple"

"Wouldn't it be easier bein' in a group?"

"Being in a group means emotions. Emotions allow for error. Being critical and smart leaves when you see a friend in trouble. Thinking like that and being distracted makes you as good as dead. So, no, I rely on myself." After that Daryl didn't say anything. Either she had made him think about past incidents in his life dealing with groups, or he was done asking questions. "The tattoo covering my left leg is what's called a bionic leg. It means strength beyond what a human can possess."

Daryl looked over at her leg. The artwork was amazing. It wasn't anything like his few tattoos that just marked his drunk nights with Merle. She had spent some time and money under the needle for those pieces of intricate artwork. He could see different gears and pistons mixed in the dark spaces. There were joints where her knee bent and wrapped all the way around. Mixed in with all the mechanical parts were different muscle and tendons morphing with the machinery. He was pretty much seeing a machine leg combined with a human leg. It was interesting, and it made him want to see what other tattoos she had and what they meant, but he didn't think he would get very far. The other ones seemed to have more meaning considering they were darker.

By the time, Daryl was done in his thoughts about her tattoos he had pulled into the complex. It wasn't so much of an apartment complex as townhouses. These houses were only two floors, and they were separate from each other so it should be safer moving through these buildings than an apartment complex. At least he hoped it would be.

Both Daryl and Ryder jumped out of the car when they made sure the area was clear of walkers. They both had their crossbows ready moving to the first building. Daryl nodded his head up having her go through and check the upper apartment while he checked the bottom.

Ryder nodded once moving up the stairs making sure she was quiet not wanting to alert any walkers that weren't in the buildings. She took out her machete and tapped on the glass of the window looking into the apartment. After waiting a minute, she opened the apartment walking in her bow raised ready to take down anything that crossed her path. Her eyes darted around the living room making sure there weren't any walkers hiding under or around anything. She walked forward going into the adjoining kitchen, and again she came across nothing. Her eyes found a closet of some sort. She moved forward quiet on her feet pulling open the door and back stepping quickly. Again, there wasn't anything for her to find in the closet. The blonde turned around and headed to the first closed door to the right of the kitchen. She held her face up to the door listening trying to hear if there was anything bumping around in there. She grabbed the handle and pushed the door open bow up. There was a walker that came out of the bathroom a second later. Before it could even make a sound, there was a bolt through its eye. She walked cautiously around the room checking around and under the bed. She cleared the room and then checked the bathroom thoroughly along with the other bedroom in the apartment and any other closets she came across.

She cleared the apartment walking back into the bedroom pulling the bolt out of the walker's eye putting it back into the holder on the front of her crossbow. She threw it around her back grabbing the bag she brought with her starting to clear any supplies that they would need.

The rest of the day went about the same clearing through houses. With both of them clearing a floor of each building they were able to move quicker than originally planned. They would usually come across one or two walkers in each apartment. The buildings were mostly cleared but every once and a while they would come across a handful that looters had missed when they were moving through quickly. When they were done with a big section of the housing, they met back up at the car checking the supplies they were able to scavenge. Once Daryl had deemed their loot sufficient they got back into the car and made their way back to the prison.

Rick looked up from his weeding when he heard the gate open. One of their cars was coming through the gate on time for once. He knew that this run wouldn't be hard, but he never knew when something out of their hands would go wrong, like it did all the time. It was nice having something be on their side for once. He stood wiping off his hands on his pants walking to where they parked the cars. He was hoping to talk to Daryl to see how Ryder had done with clearing and working with him while scavenging.

Both Daryl and Ryder stepped out of the car walking around the back while Maggie and Glenn came over to them. They were both smiling, but he could see that Maggie's face held more amusement than Glenn's. What was she so amused about? Whatever, not important. He lifted the trunk and started grabbing bags that they had filled. They were able to fill five or six bags with different types of supplies and food that the camp would need at some point. It was better to get stuff before they needed it. It saved them from having to hurry and get careless on runs putting more people in danger.

Ryder grabbed a bag like Daryl but she was met with the woman named Maggie if she remembered correctly and an Asian guy that she hadn't met yet. She assumed that Maggie was going to introduce him though.

Maggie came up gesturing to Glenn next to her. "Ryder, this is Glenn, my husband."

Ryder's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she schooled her features back into an impassive fashion nodding her head in affirmation that she heard her.

Glenn held out his hand smiling at her. "It's nice to meet you. It's good having new faces around camp." He looked into the car behind both Daryl and Ryder. "Especially ones that know what they're doing out in the field."

She watched his hand warily. These people needed to stop being so friendly with their invitations. She smiled tightly and shook his hand pulling her hand back quickly nodding her head at him.

Glenn gave Maggie a curious look, but she ignored it walking past her husband grabbing bags out of the car. He watched Ryder for a couple of seconds but decided to help his wife unloading bags from the trunk. They started moving them into the prison while Rick made it up to the car calling for Daryl catching him before he disappeared into the entrance.

Daryl handed the bags that he was carrying to other people walking in. He turned and walked with Rick stepping off to the side from where everyone was.

Rick crossed his arms looking past Daryl's shoulder watching Ryder help carry in bags. "How'd she do?"

Daryl just shrugged. "We cleared buildins faster than expected. Quick, quiet and thorough. Didn't need to help her once."

"So, she knew what she was doing?"

Daryl nodded his head. "Like she'd done it a million times."

"Do you know a way we can convince her to stay?"

"Hell, Rick, I don't know. She knows what she's doin' but she doesn't want to stay. That's damn obvious."

"Did she talk to you at all?"

"She said a couple sentences, but it was like pullin' teeth and nothin' worth shit." He turned away from Rick heading back into the prison. He waved his hand not turning back to Rick. "She ain't gonna stay."

Rick watched the back of Daryl as he disappeared into the darkness of the prison. That had been Ryder's first run, and there wasn't a problem. Daryl had said she knew what she was doing and it looked like she was smart about what she was doing and the choices she made. Her being smart like that also made her overly cautious especially when it came to people. She didn't talk to anyone unless they spoke to her first. From what he could tell even if someone did talk to her first she tried to get away from the conversation as fast as she could. For the most part, she wasn't rude about getting away either. They needed her to stay because there were things about her that were conditioned before the world fell. It seemed like she had training with hand to hand combat also. She had flipped him around before he knew what was happening and he had heard she put Daryl in place when he wouldn't leave her alone. This was going to be more complicated than he thought but in the long run, he hoped it would all be worth it, and she would make the right decision.

Rick rubbed his chin walking back out to the pigs grabbing the metal bucket he had before. He walked into the pig pen and started putting wilted and expired vegetables into the trough for the pigs. He looked over noticing that the recently sick pig named Violet was now dead. Standing up cautiously he looked over at the fence and noticed that the walker with the bulging and bloody eyes was still clawing at the fence trying to get in. He had a feeling something was going to go wrong, and he didn't like that feeling.

 **(A/N):** I hope you guys liked the chapter! Just give Jordyn some time, and she will let up sooner or later. Also, I know you were expecting something to go wrong while they were going through the townhouses but they needed a break, and a win before shit hits the fan. Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to R &R!


	3. Chapter 3 - For the Group

**(A/N):** Ok guys! I wanted to get this chapter done because of all the ideas I have swirling around in my head. I'm happy that you guys are liking the story. I also appreciate the reviews on the other chapters especially the last one. I want to thank **elljayde** for the idea with Judith. I like that idea and I plan on using it but tweaking it slightly! If anyone else has any ideas or just wants to give me some advice then I would be more than grateful.

 **Chapter 3:** For the Group

Ryder opened her eyes trying to figure out where she was. She looked around, her eyes meeting concert wall. She looked forward seeing jail cell bars, and it clicked that she was still in the prison. She sat up in the bed looking between bars. She had closed them overnight hoping that it would deter people from seeking her out trying to talk to her. She didn't hear anyone moving around so it must have been early.

She stood up stretching hearing her joints pop and creak. Ryder did a couple stretches loosening her muscles getting her body ready. The blonde grabbed her crossbow patting her side making sure her machete was still on her hip. She opened her cell grabbing her pack leaving her cell. She walked past Daryl's cell. Glancing in she saw that he was actually in his cell asleep although he didn't look too comfortable. He wasn't too long for the bed, but he was decently wide, and his shoulder was slightly off the bed. She continued down the stairs and out of the building not coming across anyone awake in the block.

Ryder left the prison stopping a minute looking up at the sky. If she could guess she would say that it was about six or seven in the morning. It wasn't surprising that no one was awake. They got up early to complete tasks, but she didn't notice people get up until eight or nine. She continued down to the side of the fence where she could exit the prison safely without dealing with the entrance gates. She moved through the fence and quietly glided over the land and weeds into the woods.

The blonde woman moved across the forest floor making sure she didn't disturb anything around her. She had gone on that run yesterday, but if she wasn't doing anything, then she would get too antsy. If she could bring back some food for the group, then she could leave them and live her life she had before coming to the group. Her bringing back food for them and going on that run yesterday was her payment for allowing her a couple night's sleep and some food that she didn't have to shoot herself.

There was a sound of scurrying across a tree. Ryder halted listening to the ambiance around her. Her eyes skimmed over the land and trees trying to find where the noise had come from. Ryder turned her body finally finding the squirrel that she had heard scurrying around. She pulled up her bow aiming it at the brown animal. She squeezed the trigger steadily and the bolt when flying pinning the head of the squirrel to the tree. She walked over and pulled the bolt from the tree removing the squirrel from it. She loaded the bolt back into the crossbow hooking the squirrel to the line she hung from her belt loop.

While Ryder was hooking a rabbit, she had caught there was a rustle behind her. It was a way away, but she still heard it. She didn't know if it was a walker or if someone was following her. She hooked the rabbit and dropped to a crouch moving behind a tree pressing her back up to the bark. Steadying her breath she pulled her machete from her sheath readying it for an attack. Closing her eyes, she listened, and there was another rustle of leaves this time closer to her. She counted in her head when she assumed the thing was close enough to her she jumped out from behind the tree coming face to face with a walker. She shoved her machete blade into its head dropping the walking corpse to the ground. She looked around listening waiting for another one, but there weren't any other noises around her.

Ryder had been out in the woods for a few hours. She covered her eyes with her hand looking up into the sky blocking the sun from her eyes. The sun wasn't over her head yet, but she could see it. She assumed that it was about 10 or 11. She knelt back down gutting the last of the animals that she shot. There weren't many, and they weren't as big as a deer, but it was something. They would probably be grateful either way. She hooked the rabbit to her line standing up. It was time for her to head back.

She was walking through the woods close to the prison now when she heard distant gunfire. Her head shot up looking around. It wasn't close to her, and it sounded like it had come from the prison. Ryder took off running back to the prison hoping they weren't dealing with other people. The day had been quiet so far, but it looked like that was over.

Ryder busted through the edge of the woods. She looked ahead and noticed that Maggie, the young boy who she knew as Rick's son Carl and a black woman were dealing with a couple walkers. She had heard people throwing the name Michonne around, but she hadn't been able to figure out who she was. She finally was able to put a name to a face. She started sprinting to the main entrance pulling up her crossbow. Maggie wasn't to the gate yet, and she could see Carl pointing a rifle at the walkers attacking Michonne. He couldn't get a clean shot without possibly hitting her. Ryder busted through the gate, bow drawn shooting one of the walkers pulling it off her.

She turned to Carl. "Carl! Close the gate."

Michonne shoved the walker that was still trying to get to her off into the wooden spikes behind her. Ryder heard the metal doors squeaking closed behind her, but she heard Maggie yell her name. "Ryder!" Instantly she turned pulling her machete slamming it into the head of a walker that had slipped through the gate before it could be closed.

She was breathing heavy looking around her making sure there weren't any more walkers in the area. Once she deemed it safe, she leaned down helping Michonne to her feet. She looked over to Maggie nodding her head slightly. The brunette ran over shooting the walker in the head that was still alive on the spikes. Maggie grabbed Michonne's other arm helping her limp back up to the prison. Carl followed behind them with the horse. Once the horse was put away, he walked ahead of them making sure nothing attacked them.

Ryder and Maggie were passing the crops on the court still helping Michonne when Rick walked out from a door on the side of the prison.

Carl ran up to Rick, but he held up his hand trying to stop his son from getting near him. "Hey, you might want to stay back." Carl ignored him though and connected to Rick forcing him into a hug.

Ryder could see that Rick had blood on his hands. Rick looked up from his son looking at all three women standing away from him. Michonne decided to speak up first. "They came out and helped me."

Rick nodded his head. "Are you alright?"

Michonne only nodded in confirmation. Maggie was the next one to ask what was on all of their minds. "What happened in there?"

At that point, a woman that Ryder didn't recognize walked out of the prison holding a yellow sheet with blood where a person's head would be. Everyone looked back at Rick.

He was watching the ground not saying anything. It seemed like he didn't know where to being or how to explain. Ryder was watching him, but she couldn't take it. "Rick, what happened in the prison?"

He decided to look up finally watching all of them for another couple seconds. "Patrick got sick last night. It's some kind of flu. It moves fast." Carl started backing away from Rick when he heard that his father could be sick also. "We think he died and attacked the cell block." He looked down at Carl leaning on his knees, so he was eye level with his son. "Look, I know he was your friend, but I'm sorry. He was a good kid. We lost a lot of good people."

Ryder was watching Rick. He looked like he was lost like he didn't know what to do at that moment. She couldn't even begin to put herself in Rick's place. He had to kill people he knew that were fine the day before. He had to put down friends, people that he needed to protect.

Rick stood back up looking at the women more to Maggie than the other two. "Glenn and your dad are okay, but they were in there." She saw Maggie nodding her head showing Rick she understood. "You shouldn't get too close to anyone that might have been exposed, at least for a little while." Carl turned around walking over to stand next to Ryder.

Ryder was out in the yard sitting on the edge of the court looking out over the fence and the walkers pushing on it. She had dropped off Michonne in her cell. After helping her, she brought by the skinned and gutted animals so they could be cooked later. No one was outside probably still dealing with the problem inside. She pulled her knees up to her chest resting her arms on the tops of her knees. She was planning on leaving today, but now that this happened she wasn't so sure. She didn't owe these people anything. There was also a possibility that she would get sick if she decided to stay and help them. She also didn't feel right leaving either. They lost a bunch of people and who knows how much more had gotten sick with them running in and killing all of the people who had turned.

She was left in her thoughts, so she didn't hear someone walking up behind her. The sound of a shovel hitting the concrete behind her brought her out of her thoughts. Ryder turned looking up at Daryl standing above her holding two shovels. He had a black bandana covering his nose and mouth. "Going to dig graves?"

He nodded to her. "Someone's gotta."

"Well." She stood up wiping her hands off on her pants. "I'll help you."

This time Daryl shook his head no. "Ya haven't been exposed much. It's best if ya stay away."

Ryder just rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. Just give me the damn shovel."

He watched her for a minute not moving. She could tell he was thinking about whether he should let her help or not. He finally handed over one of the shovels. He also reached into his back pocket grabbing a red bandana handing it to her.

She looked at it but didn't take it from him after grabbing the shovel. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but I don't care to be smelling Daryl when I'm working."

She dug around in her pack she had with her pulling out a pair of gloves and her own bandana that was a dark shade of purple. He scoffed rolling his eyes putting his back into his pocket. She just looked up at him with mock confusion. "What? Purple's my favorite color."

He watched her for another half a second before walking down to where their other graves where they had dug a while ago for other fallen members of their group.

Both Daryl and Ryder had been digging for a good 10 minutes in silence. She needed information about what was happening. She had been keeping her distance as best as possible so she hadn't heard any news from inside.

She looked over at Daryl's back leaning on her shovel handle. "How is everything in there so far?"

He stopped what he was doing after pulling a few move shovel loads of dirt out of the hole. He turned looking at her. "Two more people are sick right now. Names are Karen and David."

"What do they plan on doing with the sick?"

"Glenn had the idea of puttin' 'em in the death row cells. They're away from everyone else and sealed off."

"What about the children?"

"We decided we need to keep 'em separate but not sure where yet." Ryder stood there for a minute longer thinking but then decided to return to digging. Daryl didn't start back up though watching her dig down into the grave. "Ya know, ya can leave anytime."

That made her stop and look over at him again watching him. She just shrugged her shoulders not saying anything to him.

"Ya don't owe us anythin'. Ya haven't been around long enough to get infected probably. Ya could leave and save yourself."

She looked up at the prison. There were more people walking around outside now. He was right. She could leave and save herself. She had told him plenty of times that she didn't like being with a group because they got each other killed. She hadn't been there long, but when she hadn't been talking to people, she had been observing. "Nah, you guys need help. Who knows how many more people will come down with the flu. Plus, with the kids, someone needs to watch out for them with all the adults sick."

He just watched her. This was the most that she had shown any type of caring for anyone in their group. He was surprised with how much talking she did about being alone and watching out for herself that she had decided to stay. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't become sick like other people had. She hadn't been as exposed as everyone else but it was always a possibility. While he was thinking, she went back to digging. He turned back to his own hole whispering to himself but just loud enough she could hear. "Maybe, ya ain't as much of a bitch as I thought ya were."

She turned looking at him with a mixture of shock, annoyance, and amusement on her face. She couldn't believe that redneck just said that. She saw him watching her out of the corner of his eye. She could see he was amused with her reaction. He knew what he was saying or else he wouldn't have said it out loud enough for her to hear.

Ryder was about ready to retort when they both heard Rick approaching both of them. Before he could get to them, she heard Maggie calling for all of them. All their heads shot around looking to where she was yelling from. Beyond her, there were a big group of walkers pushing on a part of the fence. The group was big enough to push it over if they could get enough leverage on the side.

Rick started to take off running while Daryl and Ryder crawled out of the holes both grabbing their crossbows booking it after Rick. They made it to the fence all grabbing their long-sharpened tools starting to shove them through the heads of all the walkers they could get to. Ryder was standing next to Daryl and Daryl was standing next to Rick killing walker after walker, but they kept coming and kept trying to climb the fence. Ryder couldn't hear anything except for the sounds of snarling and squishing as they pierced the heads of the walkers.

She heard Maggie yelp as she tripped but stood up and started shoving her weapon into more walkers. That was when she heard Sasha over to her other side. "Are you seeing this?!" Everyone looked over at what she was looking at. There was a pile of dead and bloody rats laying on the rocks on the inside of the fence. "Is someone feeding these things?"

Ryder was watching, but one of the supports started to give above her head. "Hey, guys! This part of the fence." She caught everyone's attention running over to help her try to get the walkers off the fence.

The fence started to lean more, and everyone started backing away. Rick looked up and pushed forward putting his hands on the fence. "It's gonna give! It's gonna give!"

Everyone was pushing on it trying to overcompensate for the pressure the walkers were putting on it, but it wasn't helping. Daryl pulled everyone back away from the fence making sure that no one got stuck under it if it did give way in that second.

Sasha was looking around frantically to the group. "If that fence keeps bending in like that, those walkers are coming over it."

Ryder looked around in and out of the prison. "We need a distraction for the walkers outside of the fence. It will pull the attention away from the commotion from earlier."

Daryl looked over at her. "Watcha got in mind?"

Ryder was about to say something when Rick interrupted. "Daryl, get the truck. I know of a distraction."

Ryder pulled her pack on holstering her gun and making sure she had all of her weapons on her. Since the camp was having an epidemic, Rick wanted her to walk around fully armed now. After he had gotten rid of the walkers on the fence with the pigs, he came and talked to her. He said pretty much the same thing Daryl did, but she didn't want to leave the group in such bad shape. She told him that she would help them until they got better then she would leave. Since she hadn't been as exposed as all the other adults, she was going to help guard the kids in the administrative building. She would be there with Carl helping keep an eye just in case something happened to them since they were separated from all the other adults.

She left her cell walking down to Rick's cell where he was talking to his son. She leaned against the rail listening to their conversation.

Rick was trying to appease Carl since the young man didn't want to guard people. "It's for your own good."

He didn't even bother looking up at his father as he stuffed more supplies into his bag. "I'm fine… I don't want to be locked away with a bunch of kids."

"I need you in there keeping an eye on Judith and everybody else. Making sure they're safe."

Ryder noticed they stopped talking just watching each other. She stepped forward next to Rick. "Plus, you won't be alone with just kids. I'm going in there with you to help. We will have two sets of eyes if anyone gets sick."

Carl nodded to her seeming better with the plan now that he wasn't the only one going to watch the group. He grabbed his pack walking past her and Rick. He seemed like he wanted to ask something but he didn't want to ask with her around. Once Carl was gone she turned to follow, but Rick stopped her.

"Ryder… I just wanted to say thanks again for staying here and helping."

She grabbed her crossbow strap watching him. "It isn't a problem. I don't feel right leaving you guys when you are in such need of people who are capable." She turned to make her way to the administrative building but stopped not facing Rick. "When you guys are, up and getting better don't expect me to stay though." Before he could say anything, she was leaving the block.

She made the short hike to the building separated from everything. She weaved her way through the hallway finding the room that everyone had packed into. There were a few younger kids, Judith, Beth and Carl in the room. They didn't seem to be doing much. Carl was standing guard looking out a window. Beth was walking around with Judith on her hip bouncing her, and the younger kids were on the other side of the room doing whatever it was kids do. She walked over to a battered and beaten arm chair plopping down throwing her leg over one arm with her other foot planted firmly on the ground. Once comfortable she laid her crossbow over the edge of the chair in reach in case she needed to grab it in a hurry.

They had been in the room for about half an hour when there was fussing in the quiet of the room. Ryder had closed her eyes leaning her head on the back of the chair resting her eyes but not falling asleep. Soon the fussing turned into crying. Judith wasn't happy with whatever Beth was doing or not doing. Without moving she could hear Beth trying to shush the crying baby, but she just wasn't happy with her current situation. Ryder heard Carl get up from his seat next to the window walking over to his little sister. He then started to bounce her and play with her trying to stop her from crying.

She heard Carl ask, "Is she hungry? When was the last time she ate?"

Ryder finally opened her eyes looking over at the two. She glanced over in time to see Beth shaking her head. "No, she ate about an hour ago. I think she just wants your dad, but we can't take her to him."

Ryder sighed standing up and stretching walking over to the pair of kids. She held her hands out to Carl waiting for him to give her Judith. Carl watched her for a minute not handing his sister over to the stranger. Ryder just stared down the younger kid. "Do you want her to stop crying?"

Finally, he relented his hold on Judith handing her over to the blonde woman. She held Judith on her hip bouncing her, but the baby was still crying. She closed her eyes trying to remember the lullaby that her grandpa used to sing her.

" _Farfallina_

 _Bella e Bianca_

 _vola vola_

 _mai si stanca_

 _gira qua_

 _e gira la_

 _poi si resta sopra un_

 _fiore_

 _e poi si resta spora_

 _un fiore._

 _Ecco ecco_

 _A trovata_

 _Bianca e rosa_

 _colorata_

 _gira qua_

 _e gira la_

 _poi si resta sopra un_

 _fiore_

 _e poi si resta spora_

 _un fiore._

Ryder kept her eyes closed the entire time through the song. It was rare when she thought about her grandpa, and she missed him every time she thought about him. When she was done, she looked down noticing that her lullaby was able to put Judith to sleep.

She shifted the baby around in her arms laying her on her back looking down at her soft cheeks smiling slightly.

She heard Beth clear her throat and talk gently. "That was beautiful."

Ryder's smile turned sad in remembrance. "Thank you. I heard it when I was young from my grandpa. When I was mad or couldn't sleep, he would sing it to me, and it would always do the trick."

"What language was that? It didn't sound like English or Spanish."

"Italian. My grandfather migrated here from Italy when he was in his late 20's. I grew up with him mostly speaking Italian to me."

Finally, she looked up from Judith sleeping soundly meeting the blue eyes of Daryl in the door frame watching her. He nodded his head when he noticed he had her attention telling her to come with him.

Ryder walked over to Beth gently laying the sleeping baby in her arms and following Daryl. She closed the door gently. Once they were far enough away from the door, she looked up at him. "I thought you weren't supposed to be here?"

Daryl was still watching her. He hadn't been surprised when he walked into the building hearing someone singing. It wasn't rare for Beth to be singing to get Judith to sleep. He hadn't expected Ryder to be the one singing though. He didn't know if it was just him who noticed, but when she wasn't thinking about the world and just enjoying herself, she seemed soft. She always kept her hard exterior around everyone but her singing a lullaby reminded her that she was a human and she had feelings other than annoyance and hate. "Sasha's sick an' now Glenn has it. Michonne, Bob and I are goin' on a run to the College at West Peachtree Tech it's our only chance to get meds for everyone. We need anotha person, and Tyreese is set on stayin' here. Was hopin' ya would come with us. Could use your help."

Ryder just nodded. "I'll meet you out by the cars in a minute." She turned not waiting for his response.

When she went back into the room where the kids were everything had settled down. Beth was sitting on the floor again holding Judith who was still sleeping. Carl was over by the window, and the kids were still in the corner playing.

Carl walked away from the window when he heard Ryder enter. "What did Daryl want?"

Ryder was quickly grabbing her pack and crossbow from the chair where she had previously been sitting. "There's a group going on a run to get medicine. Daryl wants my help." She turned walking up to Carl. "I know you didn't want to be here by yourself, but this is important. Make sure you keep an eye on everyone. Okay?"

Carl just nodded his head to her. She smiled and headed out the door jogging to where the cars were parked. She made it to where the cars were when everyone was piling into the car. Good, she didn't want them waiting on her. They needed to move quickly if they wanted to have the least number of casualties to this sickness.

She jumped in the car behind the passenger seat. Daryl was driving, Michonne was in front of her, and a man was sitting next to her. She assumed he was Bob remembering the name that Daryl had said.

Daryl pulled out of the area moving through the main entrance making their way an hour away to hopefully get meds for everyone. She could see Bob looking over at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned to him waiting for him to say something.

Once Bob knew that he had her attention he brought up his hand. "Hi. We haven't had a chance to meet yet. My name's Bob."

She watched his hand shaking it. She wasn't as hesitant, but she didn't hold onto it longer than necessary. She was getting used to being around their overly friendly nature. "Jordyn Ryder. Just call me Ryder." The blonde turned back looking out the window.

Apparently, Bob wasn't done talking to her though. "That's a big gun you have with you."

She heard Daryl snort with what she assumed was a laugh. She looked up catching his eyes in the rearview mirror. She didn't want to get on this topic. Every time it came up people always thought she carried her gun because she wanted to look cool. People also thought she couldn't handle the big gun. "Yep. It is."

Bob was looking at the gun sitting on her thigh. "Can I look at it?"

Ryder was squinting at him trying to figure out what his game was. People didn't ask to see her gun. There was no reason for it either. It fired a bullet killing things. Everyone carried a gun now.

Bob decided to try to set her mind at ease. "Even though I was a medic in the army I still know a little something about guns. I'm just curious."

Ryder finally sighed relenting. It wouldn't hurt anything. The guy seemed harmless. She was also sitting right next to him so if he did anything she didn't like she could handle it. She pulled the gun from the holster pulling the clip out and pulling the slide back locking it. She dropped the bullet that was sitting in the gun out of the slide emptying the gun. It was harmless now. She handed it over to him once she checked it quickly again. "Be careful with it."

He simply nodded gently taking it from her hand. He looked at it turning it around in his hand. "Why do you have it?"

"… I had collected guns before everything went to shit. Couldn't bring all of them with me when I had to leave my place. Decided to bring my favorite with me."

"It's heavy. Doesn't it bother you having a heavy sidearm trying to move around out in the woods? How is the kick?"

Ryder just shrugged at him. "I'm used to the weight. It doesn't bother me. It kicks like a bitch, but if you know how to handle it, then it isn't a problem."

Bob handed her back her gun. She took it from him pushing the slide back in the gun. Slapping it against her palm making the clip click into place. She pulled back the slide cocking it. She checked and made sure the safety was still on and pushed it back into her holster on her thigh.

The group had been driving for a few more minutes when she heard Daryl talking to Michonne. It didn't seem important to her, so she just looked out the window watching the trees move past the car. She was looking out, but noticed that the further they drove down the road the more walkers Daryl was avoiding. He hadn't noticed yet. She leaned forward between the two seats. "Daryl."

He was tuning the radio. They had heard what sounded like talking over the static. It sounded like they said Terminus. When she said his name, she held up his hand. "Shh."

Ryder was watching him tune the radio trying to get a clear signal. She looked up and noticed the walkers that were blocking the road. "Daryl!"

His head shot up swerving around walkers in the road also hitting the brakes trying to stop the car before they rolled it. Finally, the car came to a stop but not too later after that the black sports car was surrounded by walkers. All they could hear was snarling and scratching at the windows.

Once Daryl's shock wore off he threw the car into reverse looking behind him. "Grab something!" The car jolted everyone forward as he slammed on the gas. He was hitting walkers but the more walkers that he hit, the more that piled under the car.

Michonne pointed to the left of the car. "Go to the left."

Daryl started stepping on the gas trying to get the car moving but with the wheels stick in, and on walker's bodies it wasn't going to be able to go anywhere. They were trapped in the car stranded with hundreds maybe thousands of walkers around them. He pointed to the right side of the car to the nearest section of forest. "Make a run for the gaps right there." He turned back to Bob. "Make a run for the woods, and ya don't stop for nothing, ya hear me?" He looked up shoving on the sunroof. "Now!"

Michonne and Ryder both shoved on their doors opening them when it was safe from walkers. Daryl popped up through the sunroof shooting walkers that were closing in on Michonne and Ryder as they stepped out of the car. Michonne drew her sword, and Ryder pulled up her crossbow. They started pushing to the woods as Daryl climbed out of the sunroof sliding down the windshield and hood.

Ryder turned around making sure everyone was behind her, but they were missing one person. "Dammit." She whispered to herself. Daryl ran past her as she turned around running back to the car. She could see that Bob was frozen in his seat. He was just looking around at all the walkers surrounding them not necessarily knowing what to do. She screamed his name trying to get his attention. "Bob!" Her yelling caused more walkers to surround her and the car. She moved her crossbow around her back in one swift movement pulling out her machete. She started hacking at the walkers that were surrounding her. "Bob!" Her last yell was able to get him out of his trance. He shuffled out of the car quickly frantically looking around.

Ryder killed a few more walkers making a path for him, but her wrist was caught with cold dead fingers. There was a walker closing in on Bob who was trying to get to the edge of the woods with Daryl and Michonne. She pulled her tomahawk throwing it into the back of the head of the walker dropping it. With her free hand, she pulled her gun out shooting at the walkers that were surrounding her along with the one grabbing her. She looked over noticing that Bob was able to make it to the others. They were watching her fight off the walkers, but they couldn't do anything. The sound of her powerful gun going off started drawing even more to her location. She screamed at them over the groaning of the beings around her. "Run! Go!"

Daryl watched her being surrounded by walkers. He couldn't run out and get her or else they would have both been surrounded. He had heard her squeeze off a few rounds from that hand cannon she had. That bastard was loud, but it was helping them because she was drawing the walkers to her position. "Ryder!" Michonne was pulling on his arm trying to drag him away from the woman fighting for her life. She couldn't be right. Groups were supposed to have each other's backs. She had helped them so much with only being there a few days, and now she was going to die the worst way possible because of their group.

Ryder and Daryl made eye contact one last time while she shot another round into one of the walker's head. "Daryl! Run!"

Daryl let Michonne pull him away from the scene into the trees. The last thing he saw of her were those crystal blue eyes surrounded by red as walkers closed in on her.

 **(A/N):** I'm sorry guys! Don't hate me. I know cliff hangers are a bitch but just hang in there with me. I hope you liked this chapter especially seeing another side of Ryder. Here is the translation for the lullaby earlier in the story.

As always don't forget to R&R! Thanks, everyone.

 _Butterfly_

 _Beautiful and white_

 _Fly and fly_

 _Never get tired_

 _Turn here_

 _And turn there_

 _And she rests upon_

 _A flower_

 _And she rests upon_

 _A flower._

 _Here, here,_

 _I have found her_

 _White and red_

 _Colored_

 _Turn here_

 _And turn there_

 _And she rests upon_

 _A flower_

 _And she rests upon_

 _A flower._


	4. Chapter 4 - To Serve and Protect

**Chapter 4:** To Serve and Protect

Daryl, Michonne, and Bob busted through the tree line into an open area surrounded by green. Daryl was breathing heavy along with his companions. He leaned forward placing his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. After taking a minute, he looked up to the trees where they had emerged from. He was hoping that if they waited, he would be able to see Ryder come barreling through the woods right after them.

He watched the tree line and perked up when he heard something crashing through the trees. Daryl pulled his crossbow just to be safe but he silently hoped he would get to see those crystal blue eyes and that platinum blonde hair again.

A few walkers pushed through the trees. There wasn't many of them just some stragglers who weren't attracted by Ryder shooting her gun. After they had taken out the walkers, he stopped moving facing the trees. He was trying to listen and see if there was anything. Everything around him was silent.

Daryl looked back over his shoulder when he felt Michonne lay her hand on it. "We need to go."

He didn't want to leave. She was going to be coming. The number of walkers around her just slowed her down. He couldn't just leave her behind. "She's coming."

He heard Michonne sigh behind him. "Daryl. She was surrounded by walkers. When she told us to get out of there, she knew what she was condemning herself to."

He didn't move from his spot not wanting to believe it. She was one of the more capable survivors that had joined their group. She fit in with the original group that lived in the prison before they started bringing people in. He didn't understand how she was so adamant about being away from people, but she didn't hesitate to turn back and save Bob. Then, she sacrificed herself for the three of them. He confused her to no end. His shoulders slumped. He wasn't going to figure her out. He closed his eyes. The image of crystal blue surrounded by sickening red was seared into his mind. What gave him some solace was the fact that she didn't seem panicked. He saw determination and aggression maybe even some agitation, but for someone who was surrounded by walkers, she wasn't scared.

Daryl shook his head leaving his own thoughts. He turned walking the way that they needed to go to get away from the horde they had just come from. "Come on. We need to go."

Michonne was watching her friend. She could see the desperation in his eyes when he was watching Ryder die. He wanted to save her, but he couldn't leave the other two at his side. It was rare for him to show how much he cared about a person. It was even rarer since she hadn't been with them long. Of course, when she did see the blonde girl she was usually with Daryl. She assumed they felt more comfortable with each other even if they didn't know it consciously. She started following Daryl as he walked past both her and Bob. She hoped the woman was ok and she would catch up to them.

Daryl paused looking at the tree next to him. He pulled his hunting knife out of the sheath and carved an arrow pointing the way that they were going. He added an "R" above the arrow. He was hoping that when she got away from the horde, and it was safe that she would come and find them. He hoped leaving signs would get her back to them faster.

Daryl and Michonne were standing on a bridge over a creek. Bob was off to the side on the lookout while the other two figured out the route they needed to take.

Michonne pointed to a blue river on the map. "This is Turner Creek so Barnesville must be a few miles downstream."

Bob turned from his spot looking over at the two. "Sounds like our best chance at finding a new ride."

Daryl just nodded his head to the two companions. He pulled out his knife carving an arrow into the railing of the bridge in sight for Ryder. He still felt that she was out there but the further they went away from the spot where she went down the more he feared she would never find her way back.

They were able to make it into a small town and find an old van covered by a mound of tree branches. Daryl, Michonne, and Bob were all able to clear the car, and after a short run in with a few walkers, they were able to find the new parts they needed for the van. Daryl walked out of the shop with a new battery and other supplies they needed. He lifted the hood propping it up. He got to work with changing out the battery and checking the fluids making sure the car would be up to driving them where they needed to go.

He leaned his midsection on the front of the van looking down at the motor. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He laid the orange part on his lip grabbing his lighter. Lit it up and pulled a drag from it making sure it started to burn.

He heard someone clear their throat. "Got another one of those?"

Daryl turned in his spot, and there she was. Ryder was standing behind him breathing heavy. She must have been running since she was free to try to get to them. She was absolutely covered in black blood and walker guts. He was in a stunned silence because the longer that they went, the more that he didn't think he was going to see her again.

Ryder just watched the redneck standing in front of her. The only way that she was able to make it back to them was because of someone marking the arrows. She had assumed that it was Daryl who was giving her signs on where to go. "If you a take a picture it will last longer."

Daryl shook his head leaving his thoughts. He had a slight twinge of red on his cheeks. He had been staring at her, and she had been waiting for him to say something. He pulled his fingers to his lips and whistled calling the other two to his spot. They came around the corner, and both stopped when they saw Ryder standing by them.

Michonne stepped up closer to her. "We thought you were dead."

Ryder walked forward sheathing her machete that had been dripping walker blood onto the dirt. She walked up to the side of the building leaning against it and sliding down still breathing heavy. "I can't really blame you. I told you guys to run. Hell… I thought I was dead too."

Finally, Daryl found his voice. "Are you bit?"

Ryder just watched Daryl. It wasn't a bad question to ask. Considering the last time, he saw her she was walker food. She just shook her head amused. "You really have a way with words Dixon."

He didn't say anything. He needed her to answer his question before he felt relief with her standing in front of him.

She sighed. "No, if I were bit I would have put a bullet in my head. Wouldn't worry you with coming to you guys infected."

He let out a sigh of relief that no one else heard. "How?"

She turned from Daryl but leaned her head against the building. When she had slid down the wall, there were bloody streaks from her back printed onto the wall. "I cleared the walkers around me. When I was using my gun, their heads pretty much became mush. When I was fighting their blood and guts were covering me. Once I was covered, they started to ignore me. After that, I started running after you guys." She opened her eyes making eye contact with Daryl. "If it wasn't for the arrows you left behind who knows how long it would have taken me to find you guys." She nodded her head smiling at Daryl in a silent thank you.

Ryder looked over to Bob who was standing next to Michonne who wasn't really looking at her. He didn't want to look her in the eyes. He wasn't even looking at her in any capacity. Finally, she stood from her position and started making her way back into the woods.

Daryl watched where she was going. "Where you goin'?"

She threw her hand up waving him off. "I'm going to wash off in the creek that I saw running past the town. I guarantee you guys don't want to be in a car with me smelling like a dead person."

Daryl wiped off his hands on the rag he kept in his back pocket grabbing his crossbow. "Hold up. I'll come with."

She stopped turning and looking at him which, in turn, stopped him from following her. "I appreciate you wanting to be my guard dog but cleaning off in the creek also means my clothes will be off my body."

That was the second time in about five minutes that she had made Daryl flush a light shade of red. He was about to say something when Michonne came up behind him patting his shoulder. "Finish the van. I'll go with her, so she doesn't get ambushed." He looked down at her. He could see and hear the amusement in her voice.

Ryder turned away from where she was standing and made her way back into the woods with Michonne trailing after her.

Both the woman made it to the creek. Ryder pulled off her crossbow putting it on the side of the creek making sure it was in reach in case she needed it. She took off her other weapons. Luckily, she didn't lose any of them when she was dealing with the walkers. Her weapons held some significant value. She had them since the beginning of the apocalypse, and she didn't want to try to replace them. She pulled off her shirt that was soaked with blood. Looking down at herself she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the blood that had soaked through the shirt and also covered her body. She decided the easiest route would be to take off her shoes and get into the creek.

Michonne went over to a small incline by the river by Ryder. She sat down to watch the water around her become red and murky. She knew that the blonde had a shit load of tattoos, but she didn't know she had even more under her shirt. She must have spent hours upon hours under the gun getting those intricate patterns and designs permanently tattooed into her skin. "You know you scared us when we saw you go down."

She heard Ryder answer her while she was bending down cleaning her shirt. "I would have been nervous if you guys weren't scared. Also, thanks for coming with me but you didn't have to. I can…"

"You can take care of yourself." Michonne smiled over to Ryder when she stood up ringing out her shirt.

"Yeah."

"We know you can if that stunt back there didn't show us."

"Then, why did you come decide to come out here?"

Michonne shrugged her shoulders. "I did it mostly for Daryl."

This caused Ryder to stop what she was doing. "For Daryl?"

Michonne smiled knowingly again. "When you called him a guard dog it wasn't far off. He needs to watch out for everyone around the prison. Since you started living there, he has pulled you under his paw too."

Ryder dipped down into the water washing her hands over her body trying to get the blood off that was drying. "Not that I don't appreciate him watching out for me, but I hate it when guys try to protect every girl around because they feel obligated."

She leaned back on her hands after a quick look around making sure they were still alone. "He knows he doesn't have to protect you. It was obvious when he left you those arrows. He knew that you were still alive. It's just who he is." Michonne watched the woman thinking. "I haven't seen that look of devastation on his face in a long time."

Ryder stopped for a second but then continued what she was doing. "He thought he was watching someone die one of the worst ways possible. Of course, he was devastated."

Michonne just shook her head. "No. We have all seen deaths like that. It's sad no doubt but the way he was watching you… You haven't been here long but he cares about you. He may not show it but if you know Daryl long enough you start picking up on how he feels. The man wears his heart on his sleeve unconsciously."

"… He shouldn't care about me."

The brunette watched Ryder slightly confused. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to be staying." Ryder stood up from the water stepping out of the creek. She rung out her shirt again trying to get as much water as she could out.

"You're still hell bent on not staying with our group?"

Ryder just nodded as she took off her pants and started ringing those out after she put her shirt back on. "I have said this numerous times. Groups get people killed. That…" Ryder pointed back to the area that they left the car in. "… was because of a person in the group."

Michonne just watched her as she slipped her pants back on.

Ryder looked up from what she was doing. She could feel the woman's eyes on her. She was waiting for more of a response than just the explanation she had been giving to everyone. Ryder sighed. "I have a problem with saving people. Without thinking, I always rush into a situation, dangerous or not and try to save people. It's… it's gotten me in trouble more times than I can count. The best way for me to not do that is to be by myself."

Michonne watched her for a couple seconds trying to figure out if she was lying so she would stop asking questions. She started to chuckle when she noticed that Ryder was telling the truth.

The blonde woman heard her companion laughing. She looked over trying to figure out what she was laughing about. "Something funny?"

Michonne just shook her head laughing still. "I have heard people referring to you as female Daryl, but I didn't really believe it, but I can totally see it now."

Ryder bristled at what the woman was saying. "Come on." She walked past Michonne grumbling. "Let's get back."

Daryl looked up from shutting the hood of the van. He heard Michonne walking through the brush back to where Bob and he were. He hadn't heard Ryder walking up. He watched Ryder walking past him. She had a scowl on her face as she passed him. She didn't even bother acknowledging that he was there. He looked back over to Michonne who had amusement written all over her face. "What happened out there? Y'all run into trouble?"

She just walked up to him patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. We're fine."

He turned when he heard the back door of the van slam shut. Ryder stuck her hand out the window slapping it on the roof of the van. "Come on. Let's go."

Everyone piled into the car on their way to the college.

The four of them split up to two teams trying to make their run faster since they lost time with the car incident. Daryl and Ryder went to go look for all of the supplies they needed. Michonne and Bob went to go get the medication since he was the one that knew what they were looking for.

Daryl and Ryder entered the room that they needed for all the supplies and started scavenging around. "What all do we need?"

Daryl pulled the list out of his pocket. "Bags, tubes, clamps, connectors and anythin' we'll need to give everyone the medicine."

Ryder nodded her head turning her back to Daryl starting to look around the area for the supplies they needed. She had been kind of avoiding him as of recently. She couldn't stop thinking about what Michonne had said back at the creek. She also remembered that Maggie had said something about her being a female version of Daryl too. He didn't know him as well as everyone else, but she didn't think she was like him. He was rough and borderline anti-social with everyone. She didn't think that she had seen him smile once since she had been at the prison.

"Ryder?"

She didn't understand why everyone was thinking that way too. Michonne had said that people had been talking. This was another reason why she didn't like being in groups. People didn't know how to mind their own business. When something interesting happened, they had to have their nose in everything other than their own business.

"Ryder."

She needed to get away from everyone at the prison. She did her thing again. She doesn't even know Bob, and she ran into a horde to save him. She didn't even think about her own safety. She was reckless when she had other people around her to watch and protect. She had almost lost her life once before because of her sick obligation to people. With the world the way it is now she can't risk being her old self. She didn't have people there to save her when something went wrong. She only had herself and by leaving the group was the way she was going to protect herself.

"Ryder!"

Ryder whipped around from the area that she was looking. "What?"

"I've been tryin' to get your attention for the last couple minutes. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It's nothing. What did you want?"

Daryl just watched her not believing that nothing was wrong. He hadn't known a time that he had caught her spacing out when she wasn't inside of the prison fence. "What's the matter with you?"

"It's nothing like I said… Michonne said something at the creek that got me thinking."

"What did she say?"

"…Nothing to worry about." Ryder was avoiding his gaze now. She didn't want to let him know what Michonne had said. She didn't know how he was going to react.

Daryl just scoffed. "Whatever."

The woman rolled her eyes catching the annoyance in his tone. "People around the prison have been referring to me as the female version of you."

Her words caught his full attention. He turned back to her. "What? Why?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know. You wanted to know, so I told you. Just… drop it." She turned and walked to another section of the room that they were in looking for more supplies… away from Daryl.

Daryl, on the other hand, was still stunned into his spot. She's the female version of him? What the hell is that supposed to mean? They aren't anything like each other. She was standoffish to everyone. She didn't like people touching her. He had seen her get violent when people barely touch her. She was hardened by the world but not just the world they live in now but the world they did live in before the epidemic. Daryl scoffed to himself. No one knew what the hell they were talking about. Complete bullshit. "You got everythin'?"

She walked over to him looking in her bag. "Yep. Let's get out of here."

He led the way into the room that Bob and Michonne were currently in sorting through the necessary medication that they needed.

Michonne turned looking over her shoulder when she heard people enter the room she was currently in. "How'd you do?"

Both Daryl and Ryder walked in carrying their bags setting them on the tables. "Bags, tubes, clamps. Everythin' on the list."

Ryder watched as Michonne and Bob were dropping bottles into their bags. "What about you guys?"

Bob tightened the string on his pack. "Yeah, we got it all."

Michonne shined her light into the cabinets looking at all the bottles. "Yeah. We're good."

"All right, let's roll." Daryl wrapped his pack around his back picking up his crossbow. He was followed by Michonne then Bob and Ryder brought up the rear with her crossbow.

They all entered into a darkened hallway lights and supplies downed and turned over all around them. Daryl looked up shining his light on the "EXIT" sign on the wall. He went past it following the arrow pointing down to the side of the hallway they were already going down.

Walking further down the hall he walked around a leaning door with his hand up signaling for everyone to slow down behind him. He moved into the open doorframe using the flashlight to look around the room. He looked in and was met with a few walkers who had noticed their group when Daryl used his light. They started moving down the hallway faster to the exit. All four entered another part of the hall.

Ryder pushed her back into the door when she noticed that the latch was broken and wouldn't keep the dead out. "Hey! Door's busted."

Daryl walked over keeping his hand on the door above where Ryder was pushing on it. Ryder could see Michonne's light roaming around the wall trying to find an exit. The light finally stopped on a sign pointing to stairs. "There."

Ryder and Daryl left the door walking over to the chain on the double door where their exit was supposed to be. Ryder watched the back of the group making sure they didn't get swarmed the way that they had come from. Michonne pulled on the lock as hands from walkers tried to get through the cracks.

Daryl used his flashlight trying to see through the crack. "How many?"

Michonne copied him, but she just shook her head. "I can't tell."

Ryder pulled her crossbow up facing the door as a few walkers stumbled through falling on the floor. "Get the door open. I'll cover these guys until the exit is cleared."

Daryl was about to protest when Bob spoke up. "No! They're infected. Same as at the prison. You fire at 'em, get their blood on you or us, breathe it in. We didn't come all this way to get sick."

Ryder turned looking at Bob frustrated then back at the walkers that were coming down the hallway. She wanted to go over and take care of them before they were on top of them. "How do we know the ones in there aren't any different?"

Michonne looked over flashing the light in Ryder's face. "We don't."

"Well, it's gotta change sometime." Daryl stepped forward grabbing a chair kicking to break a leg off. He looked at Michonne. "Ready?" With a quick nod, Daryl used the chair leg to get the chain off around the handles.

It took a few seconds for the walkers to figure out the door was open but when it started to give all of them decided to come through at the same time. Bob shot one in the head while Michonne slid her blade through the other two that came from the doorway. Everyone pushed through the door with Ryder bringing up the rear. She held up her crossbow at the walkers coming down the hall. Once she knew that everyone had made it though she followed behind.

They exited into another hallway from the stairs that they had taken. Daryl held his crossbow up to his left as walkers came around the corner. He turned to his right moving down the hall. There were stragglers coming through the open offices and rooms on either side of the corridor. Each of the companions took turns taking out the walkers trying to stay in line so not to accidently get separated.

Michonne got to the end of the hallway trying to open the door. The handle didn't budge. "Don't have an exit." Michonne and Ryder stood at the end of the hallway weapons at the ready for the walkers to come to them.

Daryl jumped up on a heater attached to the wall. "Then we make one." Daryl used the end of his crossbow to smash the glass of a window leading outside.

Michonne went to where Daryl was, grabbing his hand. He pulled her up towards the window. "Jump down to the walkway below." Michonne made the jump across. Bob climbed up next. Daryl helped him up and practically tossed him out the window. The walkers were getting closer as Ryder watched them stumble towards the group. Daryl pushed his hand into her face waiting for her to grab it. "Come on!"

Ryder shook her head. "Daryl, go. I can climb out myself."

He looked at her incredulously. "Come on, woman. Get your ass out the window."

Her brain was telling her not to. She had to make sure that she was the last one out. If someone was going to get stuck, it was going to be her. She needed to make sure that her group was safe. "Daryl! Move now!"

He paused for a second at her no-nonsense voice. Finally, with much difficulty, he jumped out the window. Once he was outside Ryder turned climbing out the window. Before she could jump, she felt fingers wrap around her ankle pulling her body down slamming it against the window sill. She felt a sharp pain in her side but ignored it. She kicked her foot back hearing a crunching sound. The fingers around her left her ankle. She stood up and jumped into Daryl's side who caught her around her waist.

Daryl didn't let go of a panting Ryder. She was breathing heavy from the run and from being in panic mode after feeling fingers around her ankle. She couldn't stand people touching her whether dead or alive. She closed her eyes making herself take deep breathes in and out. Over to the side, there was a sound of tripping. She looked up, but instead of seeing anything she was met with a chest dressed in black. She looked up meeting Daryl's calculating eyes. She finally noticed that he had an arm around her waist. She pulled away quickly moving past him.

Bob had tripped on the roof, and his bag was flung over the side, but he still had a hold of it by the strap. There was a swarm of walkers below them pulling on the bag. They didn't care about the material. They wanted the human flesh that was attached to the bag. Everyone noticed that he was pulling on the bag for dear life.

Michonne pulled on his belt while Daryl dropped his stuff going to his other side pulling on his shoulder and arm. "Bob, let it go." Bob didn't hear what they were saying, or he didn't want to listen to them. "Let it go, man." They were pulling on his clothes, but he still wasn't letting go of the bad. Bob had a death grip on it trying to wrestle it from the dead fingers and hands holding it. "Let go of the bag, man." With one last yank, the walkers were able to lose their grip on the bag. At the same time, Daryl pulled on Bob's leg pulling him back onto the walkway they were currently occupying.

Daryl walked over to the bag now laying freely on the platform. He bent down and pulled a glass bottle out of the bag. It was some type of whiskey or bourbon he had found when they were getting the medication. Bob stood while he watched Daryl do the same still holding the alcohol. "You got no meds in your bag?" Daryl was looking at the bottle but then looked back up at Bob in confirmation. "Just this?" He held up the bottle for emphasis. Bob was watching Daryl, but he was mostly watching the bottle in Daryl's hand. He still didn't have the courage to say anything though. "You should have kept walking that day."

Daryl went to go throw the bottle into the grass, but as he was winding up, Bob placed his hand on his gun. "Don't."

As soon as Bob made the move, Ryder had pulled her crossbow up pointing it at Bob's head. Daryl didn't do anything except walk up to the scared man getting in his face. He was silently telling Bob to do it and see where that got him. While Daryl was in his face, Bob didn't hold onto his threat. The rough man pulled the gun from Bob's holster grabbing the lapels on his jacket moving him towards the edge of the platform.

Ryder walked over standing by the side between both men. She put her hand on his chest. "Daryl, back off. He's made his choice. You can't do anything about it now."

Daryl glanced at Ryder pulling his hand from the man's vest. He started to back up away from him, and she dropped her hand.

Bob was looking off to the side away from all their eyes. "I didn't want to hurt nobody. It was just for when it gets quiet."

He shoved the bottle into the other man's chest. "Take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will beat your ass into the ground." Daryl pushed the bottle into his chest harder. "You hear me?"

Ryder stepped forward again when she noticed Daryl wasn't leaving Bob's face. She put her hand on his shoulder pushing slightly to make him back off. He took a step back at her persistence.

Daryl looked down at Ryder. That was the first time he noticed that there was a red mark on her side. "Come on. Ryder's hurt. We need to go." He turned putting Bob's gun into the back of his pants bending down grabbing his stuff that he had set down earlier.

Ryder watched as everyone was walking away. Bob walked past her shoving the liquor into his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. She looked down at her ribs and noticed that there was a red spot. She pulled up her shirt looking at the small gash in her side. It wasn't terrible. It wasn't big it was just bleeding worse than usual because it was deep. When the walker grabbed her ankle, she fell on a piece of glass. It was the first time that she had paid attention to it. She followed the rest of the group holding her crossbow in one hand and holding her side with the other.

All four of them had made it back to the van. Michonne and Ryder were looking at a map on the hood of the van. Daryl was in the passenger seat rolling a rock, from what she could tell in his hands. Bob was over next to a building pacing back and forth while smoking. Her and Michonne decided on a route. They packed up the map and all piled into the car.

Michonne got into the driver's seat. "Taking Highway 100."

Daryl didn't bother looking up from the rock he was holding. "I heard."

Ryder pulled the door shut leaning her head back on the headrest. She wasn't losing blood at a fast pace, but she was getting tired from the blood loss and the lack of sleep that she normally had. She heard Michonne and Daryl talking in the front seats, but she didn't bother listening in on their conversation.

 _Everything was silent. There weren't any sounds around her. She opened her eyes, but there wasn't anything. Everything was completely dark. She couldn't tell if she had opened her eyes or if she still had them closed. She tried moving from her spot, but she couldn't move either. Wherever she was her wrists were tied down. She tried moving her legs, but those were also strapped down._

 _After minutes of struggling someone lifted something from her head. She couldn't make out any faces. They were all blurry to her. Looking down she noticed that she was sitting in a chair in her ranger uniform. Her arms were bound with duct tape. He left leg sore and in pain. Both her legs were tied to the legs of the chair that she was sitting in._

 _There was talking around her, but she couldn't make out the language. She couldn't tell if her mind wasn't processing the words or if they weren't speaking English. She closed her eyes taking inventory of her body. The only thing that hurt was her leg. She couldn't remember what happened or how she had gotten to where she was now. The rest of her body was sore, but she thought that it was just dehydration. She couldn't remember getting here, and she couldn't remember how long she had been here. She could have been sitting in the chair for hours, days or maybe even weeks._

 _Soon there was a pain in the side of her face. The sudden force shifted her entire head giving her whiplash. Her eyes snapped open looking up at her aggressor. Still, she couldn't see his face. There wasn't anyone else in the room, but she couldn't see anything other than herself. Everything else was dark around her. There was another blow to her face. The second one caused her to spit blood that was filling her mouth._

 _The man was saying something, but she couldn't understand him. She didn't say anything. All she could do was shake her head weakly. The man above her started yelling getting angry at her since she wasn't answering questions. She looked up noticing that he wasn't there anymore. Before she could look around to find him, there was a sharp pain in her hand. She screamed trying to pull her hand away but with it taped to the chair she couldn't move._

 _The man above her was yelling something else at her. Before she could say anything, there was another pain in her hand making it throb and ache. He had broken her hand. She could feel the bones moving around when she tried moving her fingers. She noticed the hammer in his hand coming down for a third strike._

Ryder shot up in her bed screaming and sweating. She looked around the cell that she was in panting heavy. She grabbed her hand rubbing it and flexing it making sure that she wasn't back in that terrible place.

Daryl had heard Ryder scream from her cell. He stood up and hurried into her cell. He wasn't expecting to see the state that she was in. The strong woman that had only been kicking ass was sweating through her clothes. Her face wasn't focusing on anything. She was staring off into space, and she had a look of pure terror written in every feature. She was holding her hand rubbing her palm, and he could see her shaking from where she was standing.

He walked over to the woman kneeling in front of her making sure that he was in her sightline. He didn't touch her. He didn't want to scare her any further than she was already. He spoke softly to her. "Ryder."

The blonde didn't say anything. She didn't even notice that he was in her cell yet. The only thing that she was doing was rubbing her palm. He looked down at what she was doing and finally noticed that her hand didn't look healthy. Her knuckles were all out of place. Her fingers weren't straight. The abnormality wouldn't have been caught unless someone was looking. When her thumb rubbed against her palm, the bones moved under her skin awkwardly. He hadn't seen anything like that. Sure, he had broken his hand on plenty occasions. His father had even broken them a couple times. Even still his hands didn't look like hers. What the hell had happened to her? He called for her again. "Ryder."

This time his voice was able to bring her out of her trance. Her eyes focused on the man kneeling in front of her. "What happened?"

He watched her eyes for a couple more seconds. The fear was still present, but it was dissipating the more she didn't think about her nightmare. "You were having a nightmare."

Ryder just shook her head remembering the nightmare. It was one of the many that she often had. A nightmare that she would give anything to stop living. She closed her eyes again still rubbing her palm.

Daryl didn't take his eyes off her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Ryder simply shook her head no. She couldn't. If she talked about her nightmares, then they would all come flooding back quicker than she could bury them. She couldn't talk about her past. She needed to live in the now.

He just nodded understanding. He didn't want to push her into talking about something that shook her to her core. He could tell it was something that she was barely dealing with herself considering how much she was shaking right now. He stood up pushing his hands on his knees. He turned to walk out of the cell, but he stopped when he felt weak fingers wrap around his wrist.

Ryder could tell that Daryl didn't push her into talking. She liked that he understood when someone wanted to talk and when they couldn't. She noticed him standing up leaving the cell. She started to panic. If he's gone, then she would be alone again and being alone in her dark thoughts right now wasn't the greatest idea. Before she could think further and lose her nerve she reached out and grabbed his wrist. She looked up and noticed that he was looking down at her. "Don't go… please."

He started to chew on the inside of his cheek. He didn't normally do this stuff, but he couldn't say no to her. She had sounded so soft and scared. He had actually barely heard her when she spoke. He nodded his head and turned around facing her again. She moved over on her bed making room for him to sit down. Once he did, he leaned his back against the wall. One knee was up while the other foot was planted on the floor. He looked over to his side. She was sitting awkwardly still absentmindedly rubbing her palm. He could tell that she wasn't good at this just like him. He brought his hand up slowly making sure she noticed that he was going to touch her. She didn't flinch away from his touch. He pulled on her shoulder making her lay her head on his. It took her a minute but finally, she relaxed, and they stayed like that the rest of the night. At some point, they had both fallen asleep in each other's company.

 **(A/N):** I know the last part of that was clique but sometimes it's just necessary. I figured you guys knew that Ryder wasn't gone yet! Anyway, here is some of Ryder's back story. It's cryptic (of course), but it will come out through the story. I hope you guys like the way that she is turning out. If you guys have any advice or want to say something about the story don't be afraid to tell me! Also, I have been debating on whether Ryder and Daryl's relationship should get more…physical *wink* in the future. I don't know if I want to take it that far, but I could always be convinced.

Thanks again everyone! Don't forget to R&R!


	5. Chapter 5 - Nightmares from the Past

**Chapter 5:** Nightmares from the Past

Daryl opened his eyes at the sounds of shuffling coming from the block. He looked around trying to figure out where he was. He looked over and noticed a pack that he recognized as Ryder's sitting next to the bed. He remembered that he had heard Ryder in her sleep last night. He went over to see what was happening. She had been having a nightmare like he figured. When he saw her face, it had surprised him that that was the first time he had ever saw her scared. He looked around in the cell more noticing that she wasn't in the cell with him.

He stood up walking into his cell placing his crossbow on his back. Daryl walked out of the cell and down to the main floor. He didn't necessarily have anything to do at the moment. He was still curious about how the woman had reacted last night. He moved through the block looking around. People would wave to him or tell him "hello." He would nod in acknowledgment but other than that he didn't bother saying anything. He left the building going into the court area. He looked around a little more when finally, he spotted the edge of her crossbow. She was sitting in her normal spot away from everyone around her. Apparently, she had found a spot she liked to go to when she wanted to be alone.

Daryl looked around at the area around him. He brought his hand up and started biting at his cuticle around his thumbnail. He knew she wanted to be alone but with the way that she had been acting last night he didn't know if she should be alone. He didn't want the blonde to leave the facility. He had figured that out when she was attacked on their run. She was someone that he could actually relate to. Sure, he had Rick but he needed to watch out for his kids. Plus, he was dealing with a bunch of stuff personally. He talked to everyone somewhat. It was just enough to be friendly but he didn't choose to talk to anyone. He found himself actually wanting to talk to Ryder. She interested him.

He shook his head pulling himself from his own thoughts. He proceeded to roll his eyes at himself for what he was thinking. He walked over to the blonde who had her crossbow wrapped around her back. She was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, arms laid on the top with her chin laying on her arms. It looked like she was watching the people take out the walkers at the fence. Of course, he didn't know if she was actually watching them or if it just looked like it and she was really staring off into space.

He walked up next to her sitting down laying his crossbow on the ground on the other side of him. Daryl turned and watched her reaction. Either she didn't notice he sat next to her or she didn't want to acknowledge he sat next to her. He wanted to start a conversation with her but he didn't know what to say. Hell, she wasn't even in her cell when she woke up in the morning. Usually if he spent the night with someone, sexual or not he was always the one that ended up leaving first.

When Ryder had woken up in the morning she noticed that she still had her head on Daryl's shoulder. She had pulled away from him but made sure not to wake him up. She didn't want to be there when he did wake up. She knew that with her being there he would have questions. She needed to go think without anyone around her. The blonde bent down and picked up her crossbow strapping it to her back. Again, she seemed to be one of the first people awake in the compound. She made her way over to the area that seemed to be away from everyone else. When she was sitting there Daryl seemed to be the only one who bothered her.

She sat down pulling her legs to her chest. She hadn't expected to have one of her nightmares last night. Who was she kidding though? They always came to her when she seemed to be content with her life. She didn't like being around people because when she was comfortable they would come back to haunt her. They made her feel uncomfortable with people around her. She could never shake the feeling that they made her feel. It felt like people were watching her, judging her, like there were eyes on her constantly.

Ryder looked down at her hands. He left thumb rubbing over her right palm and fingers. She flexed her right hand and she saw the bones in her hand move unnaturally. She was used to the way her hands were. It just reminded her of her past. She flexed again seeing her fingers weren't straight like they once were when she was younger. The blonde rolled her hand over looked at her palm. She could see the scars that would always be there. Scars that had been caused by bones in her hands when they were shattered. Scars that were caused from surgery of having her hand practically reconstructed into a metal one.

She sighed looking at her left hand now. She did the same thing with the left. Her hand still moved the same way. It was like there were things under the skin that shouldn't be there. In truth, there was. She shouldn't have metal under her skin but since her injuries were so severe and her bones were so damaged she needed to have her bones reconstructed. After her incident, she didn't feel human anymore. She was a broken shell of a person who would never be able to get the thoughts of what had happened to her out of her head. She wasn't even fully human in physical form either. She had metal in many parts of her body that she felt all the time. When it was cold, she could feel the familiar ache that she hated to feel.

Daryl had seen part of what happens when those nightmares come back. She loses everything in the now and is taken back into the past. She didn't know if she could explain everything to him… or at least enough to make him understand. Would he be able to understand? If she told him would he recoil from her? He seemed to be getting used to her presence around the facility. Michonne even said that he cared for her. What would happen when he found out the type of person she was? She doubted he would want her around anymore if she told him.

Ryder sighed again placing her arms back onto her knees placing her chin back onto her arms. She knew that he would be looking for her when he woke up. She didn't know how she knew but she knew. Maybe it was time for her to tell him somethings from her past. At least then she would feel devastated enough to leave the group behind. They had the medication they needed. Once everyone started to feel better and they were stronger she wasn't necessary. She could go back to her life where she was in more danger but she would rather live with the walkers than live with the nightmares coming after her all the time.

She heard footsteps behind her before she saw anyone. She knew it was him. It took him a minute to sit next to her but he had made up his mind a couple seconds later. He sat down laying his crossbow next to him on the other side she was on. She could feel him looking at her. She could also see that he wanted to ask her something but he just didn't know how to. She wasn't in the mood to have a conversation so she didn't bother starting one. Hell, she didn't even bothering looking over at him. If he was so curious then he could ask her himself.

Both Ryder and Daryl sat next to each other. Ryder not moving from her spot and Daryl fidgeting with his cuticles not knowing what to say. He was about to say something but then stopped himself. He knew she knew he wanted to ask her because usually they would be talking by now. Even though their talking didn't ever consist of much but they didn't need to talk to know how each other thought and what they needed. This on the other hand was new territory for him. Finally, he sighed and was about ready to stand up when he heard her.

Ryder didn't bother moving from what she was doing or even bother with looking at the man next to her. "I was in the army."

He stopped and looked over at her. "A Ranger?"

Ryder just nodded her head. After a few seconds of pause she decided she could give up some information about herself. "Did you see my tattoo?"

Daryl nodded his head. "I ended up stitchin' you in the car. Bob noticed you were still bleedin'. Didn't want him to do it."

"When I became a Ranger, I was so excited… I could be a part of something worth a shit…" Ryder scoffed to herself. "I was wrong."

The man sitting next to her was just watching her. He was surprised by her once again. Being part of the army and military had always been seen as an accomplishment when the world wasn't over run by walkers. He could tell that something major had happened to her. Considering she was talking about her time as a Ranger he assumed it happened then. "What's your tattoo?" He was trying to get her to talk. After her dream last night, he could tell that she was retreating into herself. She wasn't too talkative to begin with but she was back peddling fast. He knew what it was like to have a past that didn't sit right. He also knew what it was like to have people who were a support system whether he wanted it or not.

"You saw it didn't you?"

He rolled his eyes. "If I would have saw it I wouldn't be askin'. I just saw the word ranger."

"It's the creed every Ranger lives by. We all know it by heart. R… recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of my Ranger Regiment." She didn't continue after that. She just turned her head towards Daryl laying her cheek on her arm where her chin was.

Daryl could tell being a soldier was all she knew. It wasn't from her talking but it was the way she held herself. It explained her gun collection, the way she would bark orders when it was necessary. The training explained the way she moved and how she was able to fight off a shit load of walkers. He didn't know anything about being a Ranger. The most he knew about military was they had different branches, and that his brother had been part of the military. "My brother was a Marine. Don't think he was too good at it."

She snorted at his comment smirking a little. "I wasn't either." Ryder stood up from her spot wiping dirt off her butt. She left Daryl thinking about her comment going into the cell block. She passed by Rick walking over to Daryl. Before she was out of ear shot she heard Rick ask if he could speak with him. She assumed Daryl agreed considering they walked off away from C block.

Ryder walked into the block and she was soon assaulted but crying from Judith. She walked into the cells and she noticed that there wasn't anyone around her makeshift crib. Beth must have stepped out when she fell asleep and now Judith wasn't happy. She sighed walking up the stairs to the crib. She looked in noticing the baby had her arms outstretched wanting attention from someone. She didn't know if she was sufficient for the infant but she couldn't stand listening to her cry any longer.

The blonde slowly stuck her hands into the crib gently lifting the baby into her arms. She set the baby on her hip and started bouncing her. Soon Ryder was able to calm the baby down so her cries weren't echoing off the cement walls.

Ryder looked down as she was bouncing Judith on her hip. The baby was looking up at her smiling. Her big eyes looking at her face. She felt small hands go up and touch her eyebrow where one of her old scars were. Ryder didn't bother stopping her considering she was just curious. She didn't mind the touch from something so small and innocent. She knew that Judith wouldn't hurt her. The baby wasn't a threat to her like everyone else. The infant took her hand off Ryder's eyebrow her eyes now roaming towards the blonde hair that was laying over her shoulder. One of Judith's hands come up and grabbed onto her hair. Judith didn't pull on it like Ryder was expecting. It was like she was examining the woman.

Ryder turned her attention behind her when she heard Beth clear her throat. "Sorry, she was crying and no one was here to hold her."

Beth just smiled at the blonde. "It isn't a problem. She likes people. You were the only one to comfort her when we were in the administrative building so I think that means she likes you too."

Ryder looked away awkwardly. She looked down at the big-eyed baby in her arms. After a few more seconds Ryder handed Judith over to Beth.

Beth accepted her into her arms. "Did… did you have a child?"

Ryder just crossed her arms watching the two together, she shook her head at Beth's question. Ryder thought about it and inwardly scoffed at herself. Even if she could have a child she wouldn't want it growing up in this world. She wouldn't have had one before the world was shit. She didn't think she was fit to be a mother. How could she take care of a human being smaller and younger than her when she couldn't even take care of herself.

Beth wrapped a blanket around Judith. "I was just wondering. You just seem so good with Judith."

Ryder was about to say something but she was interrupted by a loud explosion outside of the compound. She saw Beth looking at her confused and scared. The blonde grabbed Beth's shoulders making her look at her. "Stay here. Go into my cell. I'll come back and get you. Keep Judith safe." Ryder didn't move until she noticed Beth nodding her head.

Ryder took off out of the cell making sure she had all her weapons on her. She exited the building about the same time that Rick and Daryl came running through another part of the prison. They were all looking at each other as if asking what was going on. She looked down to an area past the fence where there were a bunch of cars lined up and… shit a tank. All three of them turned facing the group when they heard someone yelling. "Rick! Come down here. We need to talk."

Daryl turned looking at Ryder. They both looked at Rick. She didn't know what was going on but she had a feeling that they knew exactly who was knocking on their front door trying to get in.

Rick was breathing heavy. She could tell that he was nervous trying to decide how to handle the situation. "It's not up to me. There's a council now. They run this place."

She heard the man beyond the fence yell to them. "Is Hershel on the council?" One of his people holding an assault rifle dropped it going over to a truck. Everyone watched as Hershel was pulled out from the back seat with his hands tied.

As they were pushing Hershel onto his knees Beth came out of the cell block that Ryder told her to stay in. Ryder turned looking at her. "What are you doing? I told you to stay in there."

She ran up to the group. "What's going on? Lizzie and Mika have…" Beth stopped mid-sentence when she noticed that her father was down there on the other side of the fence. Her hand flew to her mouth and she pushed her side into her sister's needing support.

Ryder turned and watched the group talking back and forth. The man beyond the fence called out again. "What about Michonne?" Someone else pulled out Michonne from the back of the car where Hershel had been. "She on the council, too?"

Everyone in the group looked at each other then Rick. Rick stepped forward half a step. "I don't make decisions anymore."

"You're making the decisions today, Rick. Come down here. Let's have that talk."

Rick stood there watching the group thinking about what to do. He looked over to Daryl who nodded his head in agreement. Rick nodded once in acknowledgment. He walked over to Carl and said a few words to him that Ryder didn't hear. Once he was content Rick holstered his python and walked through the fence making his way down to the field in front of where their company was parked.

When Rick was making his way down to the other people Daryl walked over to the group that had been forming trying to figure out what the commotion was. Ryder watched him come closer to her. "Who is that?"

Daryl didn't bother taking his eyes off the group. He didn't trust them especially with that asshole leading them. "The Governor."

She nodded her head in understanding. She had heard from other people what happened before the winter with the Governor. Just from the stories she heard she didn't like the man. It looked like she was going to be fighting with the group again.

Sasha and Tyreese walked over to her and Daryl. He looked at Sasha and her brother. "We can't take 'em all on. We'll go through the admin building, through the woods like we planned." Ryder saw Sasha make a face that looked like she didn't think it would work but she didn't say anything to Daryl. "We ain't got the numbers no more. When was the last time someone checked the stash on the bus?"

"Day before we hit the big spot. We were running low on rations then. We're lower now."

Daryl didn't bother taking his eyes off the Governor expect for a second or two at a time. "Yeah, we'll manage." Finally, he turned to the three of them. "Things go south, everyone heads for that bus. Let everyone know."

Tyreese decided to speak up now. "What if everybody doesn't know when things go bad? How long do we wait?"

Daryl was walking away from them. "As long as we can." Ryder noticed deciding to follow him to see what he was doing.

She followed him while she heard Rick talking to the other man standing on the tank. She couldn't really hear what they were saying unless she took the time to pay attention. She didn't care what they were saying though.

Daryl walked over to a laundry bin they kept outside with a bunch of their guns. He pulled it away from the fence slowly trying not to give attention to himself. Apparently, he didn't think that talking this out would help and he was getting ready for a battle. He pulled the cart behind one of the guard towers. He pulled out one assault rifle walking over to Bob handing it to him. Before it left Daryl's hand he asked the man if he was good.

Bob just replied with a yes which was enough to satisfy Daryl.

While talking to Bob for that short time Ryder had already dipped into the gun stash and loaded a rifle for herself. She wrapped it around her shoulder and leaned in grabbing another one handing it to Daryl when he walked back over to her. He grabbed it and another one bringing them over to the Greene sisters not taking his eye off the exchange at the bottom of the hill.

Maggie looked down from her trance of watching her father when she felt Daryl lean the gun into her side. She released the hold she had on Beth and took it keeping it down in front of her. He took the other one in his hand and handed it to Beth standing next to her sister.

Ryder followed Daryl handing a gun to Tyreese who looked at it for a moment before taking it. He seemed like he didn't want to fight but the longer that the two men talked the more it seemed like they weren't going to have another other choice.

Both Daryl and her slowly started handing out the guns around to everyone. They didn't want to move too fast because right now their attention was on Rick and the Governor having their talk. It seemed like they were going to go to war but they didn't want to accidently cause it by not being careful with their actions.

She stood next to Carl while Daryl was on the other side of the kid. All three of them had the ends of their guns pointing through the fence at the group standing at the bottom of the hill.

Carl decided to speak since no one else was. "We've got to do something."

Daryl took a moment to regrip his weapon. "Your dad's go it."

"They're talking. We could kill the Governor right now."

It was Ryder's turn to speak up. "Carl you're looking at 50 yards without a scope."

He glanced at her. "I'm a good shot. I could end this right now."

"If you shot the outcome would be you starting something, not ending it. I have seen better shooters than you who were trained miss in better conditions." She looked at Carl making her point clear. "Stand down and wait."

Before Carl could say anything, Daryl spoke back up. "You got to trust him."

After Daryl had spoken Carl didn't continue with his arguing. She figured that he finally noticed the gravity of the situation and didn't want to be the cause of it if he by chance did miss the shot. Plus, with the men in the tank even if he did get the shot on the Governor the people standing with him didn't know the monster that he was. They would retaliate and destroy the prison anyway.

Ryder closed her eyes calming herself. It had been a while since she was in war. This was on a smaller scale but hell, they even had a tank on the opposing side. She could tell by how the conversation was going that it wasn't going to turn out well. She kept her eyes closed. She needed to turn off her switch in her head. If she didn't she would get too caught up in the fact that she would be killing innocent people who just chose the wrong man to lead them. Finally, after a few seconds she opened her eyes.

Daryl had noticed that Ryder was dealing with something. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She had closed her eyes but a minute later she opened them. He noticed a change in her demeanor. She hadn't been soft and cuddly when they had first met but the woman that he was seeing now was cold and calculating. This was the soldier that she had talked about earlier. He shook his head forcing himself to look ahead and the conversation happening before them. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand not the woman standing next to him.

Everyone standing around them noticed that Rick had said something that didn't sit well with the Governor. Ryder and Daryl both tensed as they saw him jump down from the tank. He turned grabbing something from behind him. When he turned, he hand Michonne's sword in hand while marching over to Hershel's side. He moved the woman standing guard and pulled Michonne's sword up to Hershel's throat.

Ryder was close to seeing red. Hershel hadn't done anything to deserve this. She had heard that even if he wasn't sick he had spent his entire time in the quarantined cells trying to keep people from dying. He was doing it by himself and having to take care of the people who did unfortunately die. He was a kind man who didn't deserve to be slaughtered for show. She stood up more pulling the rifle in her hands up so she could look through the scope. Her hand landing on the trigger as her crosshairs marked the Governor's head. She was shaking with adrenaline and wanted to kill the son of a bitch.

Before she took the time to pull the trigger she felt something cover her hand on the gun. She looked up and noticed that Daryl was stopping her from shooting him. She watched him as he shook his head no. He didn't need to say anything to her.

After a second of staring him down she finally relented. She moved her finger back to the trigger guard but her tension in her body didn't give. She heard Beth and Maggie hit the fence when they noticed that the sword at Hershel's neck.

Ryder couldn't hear what they were saying but Rick started talking more animatedly when he noticed the sword. His words seemed to be doing something to the group. They were all looking at each other. It seemed like they were hearing what Rick was saying. They seemed like they were thinking about what to do. At one point, the sword at Hershel's throat lowered and the old man was smiling. All she could tell was that Rick's words seem to be touching everyone around him. She was going to lower her gun but she saw the look on the Governor's face. When she saw, what was there she knew that this wasn't going to end in any other way except for… death.

As soon as she thought that she saw the Governor winding up and slicing through half of Hershel's neck. Everything slowed down in that moment. She heard Beth and Maggie start screaming as they watched their father being murdered right in front of them. Both Daryl and Carl looked ahead in stunned silence seeing their good friend fall to the ground. She was standing there but then she moved into action. She pulled her gun from the fence and went to the opening of the gate. About that time, she took position she heard Rick start yelling. "No!"

Rick fired a shot hitting the Governor in the shoulder while Carl fired another shot missing him as he recoiled from Rick's bullet. After that all hell broke loose. Everyone on their end started firing. She tried hitting the men in the tank but she couldn't when she was bombarded by bullets around her. She saw Rick running for cover after his leg had been shot. She looked over her shoulder calling to Daryl and Carl. "Cover me!" The blonde wasn't going to let Rick fight down there by himself. Before either of them could say something, she took off running in a crouch shooting her rifle at people trying to shoot at her.

She was able to sprint to him and slide down next to him quickly looking at his wound trying to gauge how bad it was. "Nothing vital was hit. You should be good." Before he had a chance to say anything she lifted up from the back of the bus and started firing at the people behind the trucks. She was able to take out a few here and there. It was difficult considering they were all hiding behind their vehicles. When she lifted up from behind the bus again she was able to take aim and fire at one of the guys sitting in the tank. She couldn't get to the other one before he dropped down.

The guy dropped and a few seconds later the tank was moving through the fences. Some people were in cars moving around in the field. The people still on the ground were running behind the tank. She pulled her gun and started shooting at the people who were out in the open still trying to duck behind the bus. She was able to take out five or six more people until she felt white hot pain in her shoulder. She quickly dropped behind the bus sitting down. Her hand covered her left shoulder. She looked down and noticed that there was red liquid gushing through her fingers. She felt around her back trying to figure out if there was an exit spot. She huffed in agitation when she felt the bullet was still in her shoulder.

The sounds of gun fire made her forget about the bullet in her shoulder. She took off running up to the compound. She turned to look and saw that Rick was fighting with the Governor. Ryder wanted to turn around and help him but she couldn't. He could take care of himself and she needed to get up there to start helping with everyone else. There were walkers that had started to pile in from the area.

She was running up behind the tank. She had been taking out as many walkers as she could since most of the people had made it to the prison. She started to kill the people who were taking cover behind the armored vehicle. She couldn't take out too many since she was also running around trying not to be cornered by walkers. Ryder looked over to her side and noticed that Daryl was in her same position. He was shooting at people in front of him but also had walkers coming up behind him. "Daryl!" She called as he saw one of them push him into an area where she lost sight of him. "Shit," she cursed to herself. She ran up behind the take taking out more people who were still scattered around. She noticed that the people originally from the prison were running all over trying not to be shot. Most of them seemed like they were running to the gray bus in the distance.

Ryder turned around hearing the sound of moaning coming from all around her. She turned and started to unload the rifle into the group behind her but her gun soon clicked signaling that she didn't have any more in the clip. She felt around her body trying to find another clip but she didn't grab one. "Fuck!" She dropped the rifle and pulled out her desert eagle looking around. Finally, she noticed that she was close enough to the guard town. She shot off her gun a few times killing the walkers in her way. She jumped into the guard tower slamming the door holding it shut. Thankfully, the door needed to be pulled so all she had to do was hold it closed with walkers on the other side. They couldn't push the damn thing open.

Daryl had heard is name being called. He turned and he immediately got a face pull of walker. If had pushed him into a safe area from the bullets. He fumbled trying to get to his hunting knife and keep the walker off him. After a couple seconds, he was able to pull his hunting knife and shove it into the walker's head successfully killing it. Daryl looked around for something and then his eyes landed on a piece of rebar. He picked it up impaling the walker with the metal pole. He walked out from where he was hiding using the walker body as a shield. He moved closer and was able to kill the two men shooting at him.

The hunter ran down the walkway he was stuck in killing walkers that were in front of him. He heard the tank spinning and firing off another shot. Quickly, he grabbed a grenade that he had been saving for a good occasion. He pulled the pin jumping up and putting it into the barrel of the tank. He moved away so he didn't get caught in the explosion.

The man who had been controlling the tank yelled from inside it. The hatch abruptly swung open as he scrambled out trying to get away from the explosion. He landed on the ground. While he was trying to get his barrings from running away from the tank he turned and was met face to face with Daryl. He already had his crossbow pulled up aiming it at the tank operator. He held up his hand trying to stop Daryl from shooting him but before he could say anything he pulled the trigger. The bolt landing in the man's heart.

Daryl dropped the crossbow looking around. "Ryder!" He had heard her call his name when that walker was attacking him. She should still be around here. He spun around in circles trying to find her. He couldn't hear any gunshots. He heard someone run up behind him. He turned hoping that it was Ryder but it wasn't.

Beth came up to him. "I was trying to find the kids to get them on the bus."

Daryl looked around seeing that the walkers were starting to swarm the area. He was still hoping he would see her blonde hair in the distance but he couldn't. The only blonde hair that he saw was Beth's. She was in front of him and he needed to get her to safety. Ryder could handle herself. He just hoped that he would be able to find her alive. He hoped that he would be able to find everyone alive. "We got to go, Beth."

Ryder was pulling on the door of the guard tower. She could hear the walkers beating on the other side trying to get to her. Then, there was a loud explosion which she figured was the tank. She didn't want to push out of the tower because she didn't know how many walkers were around her. She didn't have much ammo and she didn't have enough bolts in her crossbow to fight through. She heard her name being called. She could tell by the rough voice that it was Daryl. She could tell that with the other commotion going on outside that the walkers were forgetting she was in there but she didn't dare yell out. It would only remind the walking corpses that she was hiding behind the door.

When she didn't hear anymore banging she slowly release the handle. When nothing happened, she started to haul ass up the stairs to see what she could see. Ryder got to the top she looked around. In the distance, she could see blonde hair and white wings running away. She looked around but couldn't see anything else. Once the wings disappeared in the tree line she couldn't see any more people… that were alive. She sat on the grate leaning her back against the tower wall. Ryder watched the dead walk into the camp that had been fine about an hour ago. She was alone now like she had planned from the beginning… she didn't think she wanted that anymore though.

 **(A/N):** Hey, everyone! I just wanted to say thank you like usual. I love hearing your feedback. It keeps my pumped to write for everyone. Sorry if this chapter isn't that great. I have been sick today, but I didn't want to miss an upload. If you guys haven't noticed, I am trying to upload a story every other day. I also wanted to say thank you to **loverofbooks** for the kind words. It's greatly appreciated!

Thanks again and don't forget to R&R!


	6. Chapter 6 - What a Wonderful Life

**Chapter 6** : What a Wonderful Life

Ryder couldn't tell how long she had been sitting at the top of the guard tower. She hadn't seen anyone leave the prison after she saw Daryl leaving. She looked down at her left shoulder which was still bleeding. Her body couldn't start to heal with the bullet still in there. The problem was the longer she took to get it out the weaker she got. If she tried digging the bullet out as is, she was probably going to pass out, and she needed to be conscious.

The blonde stood up leaning heavily on the railing of the tower. The field and building were both covered in walkers. She didn't have enough bolts, and she didn't have enough ammo for her gun. She couldn't fight her way out of the tower with only her machete. Ryder sat back down looking up into the sky. She couldn't help but think that this was when she was going to die. After everything that she had been through in her crap shoot of a life, she was going to be done in by walkers. She looked down at her gun that she hadn't let go of. She held the button and slid the clip out. She couldn't help but scoff at the coincidence of only having one more bullet left in the clip.

Ryder weakly slid the clip back into the gun. Her finger clicked the safety off, and she pulled back the slide cocking the gun. She sat with it in her lap thinking. This was the first time she had ever considered… this. She hadn't had the worst life possible but she sure as hell hadn't had the best life. Even still during her personal hell, she had never even thought about it. It could have been because she had always held out some kind of hope. There was always hope that someone would save her if she were in a bind. There was always hope that she would be able to think her way out of her predicament. She was lost now. Everyone had run from the prison, for good reason. She had had the unfortunate luck of getting her ass stuck in the horde and having to take cover in the tower successfully locking herself in there.

She looked down at the heavy weapon in her lap. She picked it up in her hand feeling the cold metal. She wrapped her palm around the grip laying her finger over the trigger. Ryder closed her eyes as she held it up to her head. She would have thought that even at this moment she would have cried. It had been so long since he had cried about anything. She started to put pressure on the trigger squeezing her eyes shut tighter, waiting for the inevitable bang.

Ryder was pulling the trigger, but then she got a flash of blue, steel blue. She knew those eyes. They belonged to him. They were always calculating the situation. They seemed cold, but she could tell when she had first met them it was to keep people away. It was a defense mechanism so people wouldn't get too close. She knew the look. It was familiar to her because she did the same thing. She just took it a step further, and she made herself a loner.

The blonde violently pulled the gun away from her head pissed off at herself. She slammed her head backward into the tower frustrated. The word weak kept rolling around in her head. She was weak for not doing anything for herself. She had been fighting her entire life. She was used to this, and now when it was hard again, she was going to give up. Her eyes opened as she stood up again. She scanned the yard trying to find a way out of her situation.

The walkers were everywhere, but they were all condensing in the prison. There were bodies there, so they were going to try to feed. She looked down to the entrance of the tower. If she could time it properly, then she could pop the door open quick and make a run for the entrance where the tank came through. There were still walkers coming through, but it wasn't many. Ryder grabbed her crossbow after holstering her pistol. Taking inventory, she noticed she only had four bolts left. She would have to use them sparingly, and she could only shoot walkers in front of her so she could regain the bolt once it was used.

Ryder walked down the stairs of the tower as quietly as she could. She didn't need to draw any more attention to herself then she was going to be in the next few minutes. She made it to the door and gently grabbed the handle. She listened to the walkers on the other side of the door. Once she couldn't hear anything, she busted through the door dodging a walker right off the bat. She started sprinting through the field with her bow pulled up. She thanked whoever was watching over her that her bullet was in her left shoulder and not her right. The task of getting the hell out of the area would have been harder if she had to try to use the bow with a bad right shoulder.

She looked behind her and noticed that all the walkers in the yard were looking at her and now moving towards where she was running. "Shit," she swore under her breath. She got up to the fence having to use her crossbow to take out a walker. As she was running beside it, she pulled the bolt out. She was trying to dodge as many as she could. If she gave them a chance then she was going to be trapped, and she wouldn't be able to get out of this like she did at the college. She had done that with pure luck which apparently had run out.

Once Ryder was out of the fence and running into the woods she could breathe a little easier. Walkers had a difficult time moving fast through woods with all of the branches and shit that she had to jump over.

She had been running for about 20 minutes when she had to stop and take a breath to compose herself. Ryder looked behind her and noticed that she still had walkers following her but since she wasn't taking breaks the herd following had thinned down significantly. She still didn't dare take them on by herself though. Taking a final breath, she looked down at her shirt. She grabbed the blood-soaked cloth and took it off her body tying it around a tree. She was hoping that the fresh blood from her wound that had soaked the shirt would slow down the walkers or possibly distract them so she could get away. When the shirt was secured to the tree, the blonde took off running again.

Ryder had been running for another 20 minutes or so when she had come across a road. It was the road that led to the prison, but she was far enough away that she couldn't see the gray building anymore. She leaned forward pressing her hands to her knees panting heavily. She had been running and dodging and jumping for almost 40 minutes. Plus, her shoulder was still bleeding. When she was able to slow down, she could tell that she was in trouble. She needed to find a building or something around for her to take the bullet out of her shoulder. She also needed to cauterize the wound. She didn't have any means to stitch her wound, and she couldn't let it stay open like it was.

Finally, she pushed herself from her knees and started walking down the road. Her head was on a constant swivel considering she wasn't a hundred percent sure she had lost the walkers that had been following her. After walking for maybe 10 minutes, Ryder's attention was starting to thin. She was losing focus of everything around her. The cocking of a gun pulled her from her state. She pulled her crossbow turning around pointing it at a gray-haired woman. She squinted her eyes then they grew wider when she noticed who the woman was. "Carol?"

Carol's gun fell slightly as she took in who the blonde was standing in front of her. When she had seen her walking down the road, she thought it was someone who was bitten but hadn't turned yet. There was blood covering the entire left side of her body. She also was wearing cargo pants and a sports bra. The blonde's hair was an absolute mess also. "Ryder?"

Ryder sighed in relief dropping her crossbow. "Damn am I happy to see you."

Carol didn't say anything. She was taking in her appearance. "Ryder… Are you bit?"

The blonde squinted confused at her question. Then, she looked down realizing Carol was looking at her shoulder. She shook her head. "No, when the prison was attacked I was hit with a bullet. It's still in there. That's why it hasn't stopped bleeding."

"Did you see anyone else get out?"

Ryder paused for a minute. "I saw Daryl running away with Beth. It wasn't in this direction though. I couldn't get around in the prison. I could only run out through one way. Did you see what happened?"

Carol nodded. "The end of it. I saw Tyreese, and the kids run this way. I was trying to find them, but I didn't think I would run into you."

"Well, then let's go. If they are out here somewhere, we should be able to find them." Ryder turned and started walking the way she had been before Carol stopped her.

Carol followed the young blonde but watching her lethargic movements. "You need help. You need to let me look at your shoulder."

Ryder just waved the woman off. "No use now. It's more important finding the kids and making sure they are safe first."

Carol sighed but didn't argue with her. She was like Daryl. She was sure that other people at the compound had noticed. They both put everyone else before themselves. They always needed to be the strongest in the room thinking if they were the strong ones then they would be able to protect everyone else. They were also both completely stubborn with everything.

Ryder looked over her shoulder when she had heard Carol sigh. "What?"

The older woman walked up next to her keeping pace. "Nothing, just you not accepting help."

"I'm not the one in need. This isn't the first time I have been shot. It probably won't be the last either."

"When was the last time you were shot?"

Ryder pointed down to her right side where she had a tattoo of praying hands with a rosary wrapped around them. "It's under the tattoo. I was shot when I was in Iraq."

Carol lazily nodded not surprised. "A Marine."

"Nope… I was in the 75th Ranger Regiment in the army. We were special ops."

The older woman took a moment to think. Ryder was weak. She could tell with how she was walking. If she could get the younger woman to not think about her body getting weaker then maybe she could push herself longer. It wasn't an ideal situation, but it was better than her passing out on the side of the road. "Why were you in Georgia? You don't sound like you're from here."

Ryder snorted. "As opposed to who? Daryl? He has the thickest accent out of everyone. Rick doesn't even have a thick accent. Neither do you."

"Fair point."

"I was stationed at Fort Benning. There is a Ranger Training Brigade there. When I wasn't cleared for active duty anymore, they allowed me to come here so I could at least teach."

Carol turned looking at her. "What do you mean you weren't cleared?"

Ryder rubbed her hands together. When Carol had joined her, she put her crossbow on her back. She was getting more tired when she was holding it. She rubbed her palms feeling the metal holding her hands together. She didn't mind talking about her time as a ranger, but she wasn't sure about everything else. "I have PTSD."

Carol didn't take her eyes off the young woman. She was surprised that she had PTSD. She didn't seem like she was suffering. Of course, that didn't mean anything. She also could tell the way that Ryder seemed clipped talking about it. She didn't want to talk about this. Carol wasn't going to push her. When she mentioned it, the blonde started to get fidgety. Carol smirked to herself. Another way that she and Daryl were alike. They both had fidget quarks. Ryder rubbed her palms and looked away from the person when she would normally look them in the eye. Daryl would chew in the inside of his cheek or his thumb cuticle. He would also look away from the person talking.

The sound of a gunshot going off pulled her out of her thoughts. Both Carol and Ryder looked at each other and started running towards the direction that they heard the shot. Ryder had adrenaline pumping through her again. Her body was sore and fatigued, but she was able to push herself especially with the access amounts of adrenaline she kept getting.

Ryder and Carol burst into an opening where there were two walkers. Ryder had pulled her crossbow when they were running to the area. She shot one of the walkers in the head while Carol went over and killed the other one with her knife. When the walkers fell out of their way, they both noticed two little girls standing back to back. One of them had a gun pointing up, eyes wide with fear. The other one was holding a baby.

Carol walked over to them and hugged both of them. "Lizzie. Mika. Where's Tyreese?"

Mika pointed off into a direction. Ryder pulled the bolt from the head of the walker she killed. After she had reloaded it, she started walking the way the young girl pointed. She looked over her shoulder seeing that the girls were following her while Carol was bringing up the rear.

After a few minutes of walking, they entered out of the trees. They had a train track on the side of them, and beyond that, there were more woods. Ryder could see Tyreese beating a walker to death with his hammer he carried with him. She slowed down, but Carol and the girls walked ahead of her. She heard Carol call his name. "Tyreese."

The black man turned around eyes wide when he heard his name called. When he noticed Carol, he hurried over to her. "How- how…" He walked over and hugged the older woman. "How'd you find us? Where were you? How'd you…"

Tyreese was cut off by a man sobbing surrounded by dead bodies. Carol walked ahead of the girls. "Stay here, girls." Both Ryder and Tyreese followed her.

The man was walking around looking at the carnage around him. He dropped to his knees when they walked closer to him. "Stay on the tracks. That was my mistake."

Ryder stepped forward. "The woods have more cover."

The older man just started to sob more. "No, you don't understand. There's a place up the tracks. It's safe you can take the children there." All three of them just looked at each other without saying anything. The woods did have more cover but it the tracks lead to a settlement then they had a chance to possibly meet with the group. "Trust me. Please. Follow the tracks."

When he was done talking they turned away and started down the tracks as he had said. They didn't know where they were going, but they hoped that they could actually trust the dying man. Ryder kept walking next to Carol while Tyreese went over to the girls moving them along.

After walking for a while, they heard Mika speak up. "Tyreese. I didn't run. I didn't leave Lizzie."

The older man just smiled down at her rubbing his hand on her head. "See that? Tough little lady."

Carol spoke up. "Hey, there's some water in there..." She pulled off the pack that she had been carrying on her back. "… and some food."

The group stopped for a break. Ryder sat down on the tracks. She could feel that her breathing was becoming labored. Her body wouldn't last much longer. She was already in the dangerous territory of possibly needing blood, but that wouldn't be possible for them.

Tyreese kneeled down in front of her. He handed her a canteen that had water in it. "Here. Drink this. You need it."

Ryder just shook her head refusing the water. "The kids need it more than I do."

Carol looked down at Ryder. Her face was pale, and she was breathing heavy even though they had only been walking. "We need to find a place to stay. She won't be able to go on much longer."

Ryder pulled herself up from the ground everyone watching her. "Come on. Let's keep moving. Wasting daylight." She walked past them along the tracks. She could hear them talking behind her but she needed to stay focused on walking, or she was going to fall over.

Lizzie and Mika walked ahead of her when they came across a wooden structure. There were two signs posted on the structure. One was a map with a big star that was labeled Terminus. The other sign said "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive."

Everyone stopped looking at the map, but Ryder kept walking. If they were going to find it staring at a map wasn't going to help them. They just needed to keep following the tracks. When she kept walking, she heard the rest of the group follow her. She took a couple more steps when her knees buckled under her. She dropped down to one knee with her hand leaning on the ground. She looked down at her hand and noticed that it was pale. She had only seen it like that one other time.

Ryder sighed pushing herself off the ground which was easier said than done. When she was almost stood up, she felt a hand grab her around her bicep. Her entire body tensed but it soon relaxed. She didn't have enough energy in her body to care if people were touching her. She looked over and noticed that Tyreese was helping her. He wrapped his large arm around her waist while he placed her arm around his neck. They began walking with him trying to carry as much of her weight as he could.

While they were walking, she heard Lizzie speak up behind her. "Is she going to die?"

Ryder couldn't help but smirk at the young girl while Tyreese turned looking at Lizzie. "No. We will find a house and fix her up there."

They had been walking for about 15 minutes when they came to a house that was off of the tracks a ways but not too far they would miss anyone walking on them. The entire group walked over to the house both Carol and Tyreese on alert. Tyreese set Ryder down on the ground leaning her against a tree. "Lizzie, Mika stay here with her while Carol and I go in and check if it's safe."

The girls both nodded their heads as Tyreese and Carol walked off to the house. Ryder leaned her head against the tree, closing her eyes. She knew that she shouldn't be closing them, but she was so tired. Her bleeding had slowed down, but it was because her wound was starting to clog with sweat, dirt and dried blood.

Ryder opened her heavy eyelids as she saw Carol and Tyreese making their way back to her place at the tree. This time instead of helping her Tyreese came over and picked her up carrying her into the house. She didn't like being handled in that way, but there wasn't anything she could do at the moment. She relished in the feeling of not doing anything because when they got settled Carol would be digging in her arm and cauterizing it which she wasn't looking forward to.

Tyreese walked her into the house laying her on a couch in the living room area. Carol and the girls followed him. Once she was safely on the bed, Carol started giving orders while digging in her bag. "Mika, will you go find a shirt and a cloth for me. Lizzie I'm going to need your help here. Tyreese, will you start the fire in the fireplace? I'm going to need it hot."

Tyreese stood there not moving while the girls went off to help Carol and get what she needed. "Why do you need a fire going?"

Carol didn't bother looking up at him as she was pulling different items from her pack. "I don't have anything to sew her wound up. She's going to be bleeding again when I get done digging around in her arm. We are going to need a quick fix for the hole in her shoulder. Cauterizing her wound in the easiest way for that to happen."

Ryder watched as everyone moved around the room. She also saw that Tyreese didn't say anything but just nodded his head in understanding. He went over starting to get a fire ready in the fireplace. The blonde woman unbuckled her belt that she was wearing. She folded the leather and placed it between her teeth when she noticed that Carol was practically ready.

The older woman looked up watching Ryder. "You know what's going to happen, right?" Ryder nodded her head. "Ok, here we go. I don't know how long it's going to take me to find the bullet. I don't have any training with this."

Ryder pulled the belt from her mouth. "I trust you." She replaced it, laying her arm flat on the couch while she grabbed at the fabric of her cargo pants.

Carol nodded. She grabbed the antiseptic that she had in her bag and poured a generous amount on the wound getting it wet again. She felt Ryder tense underneath her. Carol grabbed the cloth that Mika had found and wiped at the wound as gentle as possible. Finally, she was able to clear off the dried blood and dirt. She poured more antiseptic over the wound cleaning it again. Carol grabbed the large tweezers that she had in her bag that were in a first aid kit she found a while ago. She took a breath, and she stuck the end of the tweezers into Ryder's wound. The older woman could tell that Ryder was trying to be as still as possible. Carol was also trying to feel around in the wound for the bullet without moving too much and doing more damage. The more that Carol dug around in her shoulder, the more that Ryder was tensing and screaming. Her teeth were clamped down on the belt.

Tyreese was watching the scene in front of him, but he couldn't do it anymore. He didn't like it when his friends or people from his group were hurt. Seeing Carol digging in Ryder's arm while the woman was screaming in pain wasn't something that sat well with him. He also didn't want to be present when Carol had to burn the younger woman.

"Lizzie," Carol called. Lizzie was right next to her in the moment. "I need you to sit on her stomach so have her stop moving. Ryder is weak, and she can't control her movements much now. Hold the belt in her mouth. We can't have it falling out. I need to move deeper into her arm." Lizzie nodded but seemed reluctant. After a second the young blonde moved onto Ryder's lap with her torso between her legs. Lizzie leaned down and started holding the belt down, so it didn't fall out of Ryder's mouth.

Carol looked up at the blonde. Her face was full of sweat, and she was breathing heavy. She felt sorry for the young woman. "I need to go deeper." She saw Ryder nod once in conformation, Carol sighed and pushed the tweezers deeper into her shoulder. Ryder's back arched off the couch, but with the added weight of Lizzie, she was able to keep her down for the most part. Carol pushed the tweezers in further, and she was able to finally feel metal. "Hang in there Ryder. I can feel the bullet." Pushing a little deeper Carol pulled the tweezers open and was able to get them around the bullet. Her spreading the metal made the young blonde scream more as it also opened the wound. Carol pulled gently on the bullet making sure to not slip off the metal in her arm.

After what felt like hours to Ryder Carol pulled the tweezers from her shoulder along with the damn bullet that had been giving her problems since the prison. She smiled weakly at the older woman. "I want to say thank you now because I know I'm going to pass out when you cauterize my shoulder."

The older woman just nodded smiling slightly. She had to give this woman props she was tough. She thought that Ryder would have passed out when she was digging around in her arm. She saw Ryder pull her machete from her holder on her hip, handing it to Carol. "Use the antiseptic to clean it. It should be wide enough to cover the hole in the arm, so this only needs to be done once."

Carol took the blade pouring antiseptic on it and wiping it off. She made sure it was clean and went over to the fireplace. She held the edge of the machete in the fire. Carol watched the metal heat up to an orange color. Once it was hot enough, she walked over to the couch. Ryder had placed the belt back into her mouth and was watching Carol wield the hot blade. With one quick nod from the blonde Carol pressed the blade onto her skin.

Ryder lurched her back up practically throwing Lizzie off her. The searing hot pain on top of searing hot pain wasn't a sensation that she missed. After a second of holding in on her skin, Ryder saw black as she passed out from both the blood loss and not wanting to be awake to feel more pain.

Ryder woke up in the cell block of the prison. She looked around at the cell she had been assigned. What was going on? She couldn't remember what was happening. She stood from her spot in the bed. She instinctually went for her bow she always had at her side, but it wasn't there. She looked around and noticed that she was missing all her weapons. There wasn't anything in her cell that she usually carried with her.

Ryder scowled. What the hell was going on? She never left without her weapons. She also never took off her machete. If she was missing that there was something very wrong. She cautiously walked out of her cell looking around. There wasn't anyone in the block. Everything was dead silent, and that made her feel even more uneasy. She walked past Daryl's cell, and he wasn't in there. She made her way down the stairs checking the other cells on the ground floor. Everybody had their things in the cells, but there weren't any people around.

She moved to the door and opened the door leading outside. When the door slid open, she was met with everyone milling about outside. There wasn't any sign that the Governor had just busted through the gate with a tank and started blowing their shit up. She walked outside slowly waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

People were walking past her smiling, waving and saying hello to her. That was strange. Everyone at the compound except for a select few would say hello to her. She had apparently come off too intimidating for everyone to be friendly to her.

"Mommy!" She heard someone call behind her. She turned around as there was a force that ran into her legs. She looked down and saw there was a young girl with dark brown hair and steel blue eyes. She was smiling up at her hugging her around her legs.

Ryder was at a loss for words. She was also utterly confused. She couldn't have children. When she was going into the war, she decided to get surgery to prevent pregnancy. It wasn't like she could get pregnant before that. She had been told that there was something wrong with her ovaries so it was slim she would be able to get pregnant. She just decided to stop it there before anything happened.

The little girl at her feet was smiling up at her. "We were wondering when you were going to wake up."

Ryder frowned at the young girl. She looked to be about eight or nine. She also said we. What the hell did she mean? "Look, kid, I think you have me mixed up with someone else." Ryder flinched at the complete look of devastation on the young girls face.

"Mommy… what are you talking about?" The girl looked behind her and took off running for something.

Ryder turned, and her eyes grew wide. The little girl was running up to a guy who familiarly looked like Daryl. He had his crossbow around his back and machete at his thigh like always. He had a string of rabbits and squirrels at his side also. What was different was the young boy walking next to him trying to keep up. He looked to be about 10 or 11. He had platinum blonde hair and startling crystal blue eyes. She noticed the little girl run up to Daryl and wrap her arms around the man's legs.

He didn't even have time to react to her. He bent down and wiped a tear from the little girl's cheek. He was talking to her, but Ryder couldn't hear anything that they were saying. Once the two were done, she noticed Daryl stand up. He was walking straight for Ryder. He didn't seem mad or pissed off or annoyed. He seemed calm and friendly. He had a different air around him than when she saw him last time.

Ryder took a step back away from him involuntarily when he walked up to her. He noticed her step and gave her a short questioning look. He didn't bother saying anything though. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss.

As soon as their lips met Ryder froze. What the actual fuck was going on? She apparently had kids, and it seemed like she had them with Daryl Dixon. Who was also kissing her right now. She felt Daryl pull away from her a short time after. His questioning gaze was even more prominent. "What's wrong?"

Ryder couldn't say anything she was too stunned to speak. She was also too confused to be thinking about anything.

Daryl turned around to the two kids behind him. "Go on and play for a while." She saw both kids take off after a moment of looking at her. She could tell that they were scared. Daryl grabbed her arm and led her into the prison once he dropped off the animals that he shot earlier. He brought her into a cell on the top floor, but it was one she didn't recognize. There was stuff in this cell. She looked over, and he sat on the bed. When she followed, she noticed that all her stuff was in the cell. Her crossbow was seated in the corner. Her machete, gun, and tomahawk were all laying by the bed. She took notice that the bed was also a little bigger. It wasn't much bigger, but it was big enough for two people to sleep on it.

She looked back down at Daryl who patted the spot next to him. Ryder hesitantly sat next to him but still made sure there was a little bit of space between them.

Daryl went to take her hand, but she pulled away before he could grab it. He stopped moving and was just watching her face and her reactions. "This 'bout the fight we had last night?"

Ryder didn't talk for a few seconds, but she was able to find her voice. "What?"

The hunter just scoffed at her. "Not goin' to even acknowledge it."

"Daryl. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He squinted at her trying to figure out what she was doing and why she was being strange. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know what I'm doing here." Ryder stood up and started to pace in the room. "I woke up in my cell… well, my old cell. The last time I remember being here was when that shit head Governor came busting through the fence with a tank! He blew holes in the side of the prison. He caused walkers to fill this place, and we lost people. Everyone was separated."

Daryl didn't say anything. He could tell she was freaking out. "You said the Governor came?"

Ryder nodded her head. "Yeah."

He stood up making her stop pacing. He grabbed her hands not letting her pull away from him this time. "Darlin' you must have been dreamin'. Michonne found him a while ago and killed that bastard."

Ryder was looking at him like he had a second head. "Daryl. What the hell is going on? I don't remember anything."

Finally, there was some realization on Daryl's face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I only know my story. I didn't know Michonne killed him. I don't know those kids that mistakenly called me mom. I'm not in a relationship with you either." She tried pulling away, but Daryl held onto her firmly.

"Those kids didn't make no mistake. His name is Mason. The little girl is Victoria. They're our children."

Ryder couldn't say anything. She had kids. She had kids with Daryl. He said our. She didn't miss the word our. "What?"

"I'm your husband, Darlin'. We got married years ago around the time you gave me two beautiful children."

Ryder looked down at their hands. Sure enough, they were both sporting rings. The only thing that was going through her brain was "shit."

 **(A/N):** Alrighty, guys here is the next chapter. I really hope you guys like it! We didn't see where Daryl went because don't forget this story is about Ryder. We will get to see more of him next chapter though. *wink*

Don't forget to R&R!


	7. Chapter 7 - Soldier Dearest

**(A/N):** So, I want to put a quick warning at the beginning of this chapter. There is mature content both sexual and possibly triggering. There is talk of torture, but it isn't too graphic.

 **Chapter 7:** Soldier Dearest

Ryder looked up from Daryl holding her hand. She looked into his eyes. She could see so many emotions swirling around in them. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. She pulled her hands out of the big, rough ones that had hers captured. Taking a few steps back away from him she grabbed her machete and crossbow not bothering with any other weapons. Without saying anything she turned and walked out of the cell. She didn't hear Daryl coming after her or even saying anything. She was thankful that he wasn't trying to go after her. She needed to think and figure what the hell was going on.

The blonde woman busted through the door and was practically jogging down to the entrance to the prison. She couldn't look at anyone. She didn't want to look at anyone. Ryder was almost jogging down the gravel when she heard two small sets of steps behind her.

"Mommy?" Ryder paused in her movement not turning around. She couldn't face them, couldn't acknowledge that they existed.

"Where are you going?" This time it was the little boy that spoke. Slowly, she turned and was met with two pairs of crystals with tears in her eyes. The boy had a look of confusion written all over his face.

"Stay here." Ryder turned and started to walk away from the children standing behind her. She needed to get out before she started having a panic attack.

Before she could get too far, she felt a hand grab her hand. Without thinking she pulled her hand away from the smaller one. She looked down and noticed that the boy, Mason as Daryl had told her looked stunned at her reaction. Ryder sighed turning back around but making sure to keep her distance. "Go find your da… Daryl." She turned and started walking away making sure to keep going this time. She didn't see if the kids listened to her or not. She didn't really care at this moment.

Ryder started jogging again to the main entrance. She didn't even have to say anything for someone to open the gates. They smiled at her, but their smile was strained. They seemed worried. She scoffed as she ran through the fence and into the woods away from the prison.

The blonde entered the woods and ran. She kept running and running. She couldn't stop. Her mind was reeling with everything that had happened in less than 12 hours. She hadn't known how long she had been running when she tripped over a downed log and landed on the ground. Instead of getting up she rolled over onto her back looking up at the sky.

Her chest was rising and falling quickly as she was panting trying to catch her breath. The only thing that she could keep asking herself was what the hell was happening. For one she couldn't have kids. When she was in her early 20s, she had found out that there was something wrong with her ovaries. She could still get pregnant, but there was a very high chance of miscarrying. Around that time was when she decided to go into the army. Instead of worrying about pregnancy and everything surrounding that she had stopped the situation from getting out of control. She had surgery and fixed it.

Ryder laid an arm over her forehead covering her eyes as it started to rain on her. She still didn't bother getting up from the ground that she was still laying on. Even if she could have kids, she never wanted them. All her life she had been struggling, or it was spent in the army. Her life wasn't something that she would want to bring a kid into. She wasn't a good mother. She scoffed to herself again. If it wasn't obvious. Those two kids back at the compound seemed absolutely devastated, but she just couldn't do it. Then, there was the fact of Daryl. When did they get together? How long had they been together? Why were they together? All of the questions were swirling around in her head. She couldn't ask him though. She could see his feelings in his eyes. He didn't show his emotions, but his eyes always did. If she were to ask him, then she would hurt him as she had her kids. Her children? Victoria and Mason? Calling them anything other than those kids sounded so foreign to her. She was pissed off and stunned and so many more emotions. She couldn't even explain why she was feeling everything.

Just like with running she didn't know how long she had been laying on the ground. She did know that she was soaked to the bone. Her clothes were drench, and she was muddy from the water mixing with the dirt around her body. Ryder sat up with one knee up and the other laying on the ground. She leaned her elbow on her knee looking around. Should she even go back? Ryder sighed laying her head on her arm. Of course, she had to go back. She couldn't just run away from the life she had here… even if she didn't know what that life was.

While her head was resting on her arm, there was a rustling in the bushes by her. Instantly she was on her feet looking around with her crossbow pulled up. A walker stumbled out of the branches, and it received a bolt through its head. Once it dropped, she walked over to it and pulled the bolt from its head. Before she could respond there were two other walkers pushing through the brush. Ryder dropped her bow pulling her machete. She back peddled from them giving her enough space but she tripped over the branch she had tripped on earlier. As she was going down, she yelled, "fuck." As soon as she landed on her back, both of the walkers fell on top of her. She used her machete to stab the one laying directly on top of her in the head. The already decaying head and brain matter practically exploded with the amount of force she used. She could hear the snapping of jaws while the other one tried to get a hold of something fresh. The blonde yanked her machete from the first one and stabbed the other one up through the jaw into its brain. Also, causing a rain of blood and brain matter to cover her.

Ryder's head fell back on the ground breathing heavy again. After composing herself, she wormed her way out from underneath the dead bodies. Looking down at herself she was covered in mud, soaked and now had blood and brain matter covering her face and a good portion of her shirt. All she could do was roll her eyes at her situation. She walked over and picked up her crossbow loading it, putting the bolt that she pulled from the first walker in the slot. Thinking she had been out there long enough, she started making her way back to the prison. This time she wasn't running. She was going to get back, and she didn't know what was going to happen, so it didn't make her feel like getting there anytime soon.

After about an hour of walking and three walkers later she was walking along the road with the prison in the distance. It wasn't too far. It was getting late now. It wasn't too dark, but it was a little past dusk. Her crossbow was down at her side while she carried her machete down in her other hand. The blade dripping with blood.

After another five minutes of walking, she noticed that there wasn't someone at the gate currently. She figured that they were changing shifts or something. Instead of waiting for someone to come to the gate she walked over to the spiked logs laying on either side of the entrance. She killed two walkers, one with her bow and the other with her machete. Once she dispatched the two walkers, she leapt over the logs making her way into the prison.

There weren't as many people around as when she left, but the people that were still outside were staring at her something awful. They almost looked scared of her. Those looks she was used to. She hadn't been used to the ones that they were giving her when she first walked through the crowd. Their looks were friendly and sincere. She walked past everyone scoffing at them and partially herself. Now they didn't hold the same emotions when they were looking at her. It wasn't like she cared what they thought of her. She looked like she did because it's the reality of what outside the fence looked like. Everyone who lived out there gets dirty and muddy. After a day, they become gross and greasy. Most of the time their clothes were also splattered with blood. Exactly how she looked at that moment.

Ryder walked into the block and was immediately met with steel blue. Daryl was sitting on one of the tables. Apparently, he had been waiting for her. She didn't even bother with saying anything. In truth, she didn't know what to say to him. She wasn't the woman that he fell in love with or whatever bullshit they had told each other. She walked further into the block, and she could tell that he was following her. They both walked up the stairs. The blonde went to turn right to go into the cell that she was used to. The cell where she was assigned when she had first shown up to the prison. Before she could get too far, she felt a hand on her wrist. She instinctually pulled away from his touch, but he had been expecting in and held onto her wrist tighter.

She turned looking at him. He seemed pissed off, but he was also worried. Since when could she read him that well? It wasn't hard, but it hadn't been this easy before. Without saying anything, Daryl pulled her in the other direction towards the cell that they shared together she assumed.

Daryl made her walk into the cell first. He didn't completely enter. He leaned his shoulder up against the entrance of the cell with his arms crossed. He was watching her. He was trying to figure out what was happening. Finally, he decided to speak up. "Where did you go?"

Ryder dropped her crossbow into the corner where it had been before. She took off her machete holder dropping it on the floor next to her tomahawk. She still didn't bother responding to him. She didn't feel like talking right now. She grabbed her shirt and peeled it off her body. If they had two kids together than she didn't need to feel embarrassed about changing in front of him.

"Darlin'." He called to her.

She froze. "Don't call me that."

"Why the hell not?"

Once her shirt was off her, she peeled her pants from her legs. She felt a towel hit her back that Daryl had tossed over to her.

Daryl just grunted in annoyance. "Ryder, fuckin' talk to me."

She turned around looking at him standing in only her bra and panties. He didn't seem phased by her current dress. "What the hell do you want me to say?" She walked over to a pile of clothes that she assumed were clean. She knelt rummaging through it trying to find things to wear.

"For starters, where the hell did you disappear to?"

Ryder grabbed a shirt, and a pair of gym shorts that she assumed were hers. She also grabbed a pair of panties that were mixed in. She pulled off her bra and dropped her underwear. Picking up the towel she started to wipe herself off. She didn't have much blood on her. She was mostly soaked from the rain and dirty from the mud. "Out… in the woods. I needed to clear my head."

"You scared our kids leavin' the way you did."

Ryder paused for half a second at the words "our kids." "… I didn't mean to." She pulled on her tank top, underwear and shorts. She leaned her head to the side moving all her hair to one side of her head. She started drying her hair off as much as she could.

"What's goin' on with you?"

She stopped, throwing her towel with the pile of her clothes. "I have no idea. I… I don't remember this life." She sat on the bed looking up at him.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Before the Governor? Everyone in the cell block. Well, most everyone in the block came down with a flu-like sickness. Michonne, Bob you and I all had to go to a college about an hour out to get medication." While she was talking, she had noticed his eyes growing wide. "What?"

"Darlin'… that was about 13 years ago."

Ryder shot up from her seat looking at him stunned. "What!?"

"It happened when you first came here. Rick found you in the woods around the prison."

Ryder couldn't talk. She was in stunned silence. What the actual fuck was going on?

"Darlin'?" She looked up and noticed that Daryl had walked into the cell more. He was walking up to her slowly trying not to startle her any more than she already was.

She knew that he was going to touch her, but she didn't pull away from him. She felt him wrap her arms around her. She didn't respond. The only thing that happened was her bodies normal reaction to tense up when someone touched her. "I'm going crazy. I'm going absolutely insane. Out of everything in this world that could happen to me I'm losing my mind."

Ryder could feel Daryl's strong arms tighten around her. He didn't say anything. All he was doing was shushing her trying to calm her down. He pulled away just enough to look at her. She didn't bother looking up at him. She felt him lift her chin up forcing her to look at him.

His eyes bore into hers. He was studying her, studying her reaction. He slowly leaned forward capturing her lips with hers. It took her a minute, but finally, she responded to his kiss. She wasn't sure, but it felt like he relaxed into her kiss. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck. She pushed her body into his. They had been together obviously judging by their kids, but in her mind, she hadn't been with someone for a long time.

They parted from their kiss needing air. She was looking into his eyes while they bored into hers. "I can't." Ryder started to pull away but Daryl wasn't having it, and he kept her pressed against his chest.

He leaned forward pressing his lips against her ear. "Stop lettin' your fear make your choices Darlin'."

"Daryl. You don't understand. I don't remember any of this. I don't remember Mason or Victoria. I don't remember the people here. I… I don't remember you."

She heard him shushing her again. "Let me remind you."

Ryder felt herself being pushed backward. Her hands came up to his broad chest bracing herself. Stepping back further her knees hit the edge of the bed. She dropped back onto the bed with Daryl over her body. He hadn't taken his eyes off her the entire time. His intense eyes bore into hers. His strong arms leaning on the bed around her, boxing her in. His body was laying between her legs, filling the space. She could feel the man's weight on her body.

Her hands were still on his chest. She didn't know what to do with them. It wasn't like she was a virgin, but she hadn't done this for so long, in her mind. She also never thought it would have been with Daryl. She didn't know what he liked. She didn't know how he reacted. She… didn't know anything. She closed her eyes turning her head away from him. She couldn't look at him. She was ashamed that if this was her life now, she had actually forgotten everything that had happened. She couldn't remember her kids even. She had known she would have been a terrible mother but how terrible would someone have to be to completely forget that she had kids.

Ryder felt a finger pushing her jaw back towards his face, but she didn't open her eyes because she knew what he was doing. "Look at me." She didn't open her eyes, only squeezing them shut tighter. "Darlin'… open your eyes." She felt his hand leave her face grabbing one of her hands pressed against his chest. Her eyes instantly flew open when she tried to pull away. She didn't want him feeling the metal, the inhuman part of her.

Instead of letting her pull away he gripped her hand tight. His eyes never leaving hers. He lifted her hand up to his face. He kissed the inside of her palm. She noticed that he made sure to focus on the areas there were metal. She sucked in a breath at his gentle touch on her hand. What was he doing? He knew? Of course, he knew. He was her… husband after all. She assumed that she would have told him everything.

She was watching him kiss her hand. He moved along her wrist to her forearm. It was like he was showing her that this wasn't her first time. He was showing her that this was real. His kisses continued up to her bicep, kissing along her tattoos. While he was kissing her arm, she felt his other hand trailing along her waist. His hand trailed under her tank top she had put on earlier.

Her body tensed up when he felt his rough, calloused hand over her waist moving up to her ribs. He kissed up her arm to her collar bone. Then, up to her neck. He made sure to spend some extra time sucking and kissing on her neck. Her tension in her body released with his attention. He knew that her neck was sensitive. He knew everything about her and her body.

Ryder's back arched slightly when he started sucking making sure to leave a mark on her neck. Her mind forgot about his hand on her body and focused on the feeling of his lips. She unconsciously brought her hand to the back of his neck, carding her fingers through his hair.

Daryl's lips left her neck and kissed along her jaw line leading up to her own lips. Her eyes dropped closed when his lips met hers. Their kiss was slow. She could feel that he was leading this, but he was letting her go at her own pace. She had told she didn't remember anything and she assumed he didn't want to scare her off since he was trying to remind her of everything. She appreciated that fact that he was going at her pace. Her heart seemed to swell at thinking about it. She could feel that she loved this man. Her mind didn't seem to know him, but her body definitely did. It responded to him in all the right ways. She hadn't felt this feeling in her chest before. The only thing that she could think of was she loved him unconditionally and that feeling she felt pulled her from being timid with him. She wanted to show him that even if she forgot who he was and what they were that her body didn't forget. She wanted to show him she loved him.

Ryder lifted her body into his, laying her chest flat against his. Her fingers in his hair tightened pushing him closer to her. She wanted to feel his body, she wanted to know what it was like. She swiped her tongue along his bottom lip. It took him a moment to respond to her. Ryder could only assume that she caught him by surprise with his forwardness. It didn't take him long to open his mouth and push his tongue in her mouth connecting with hers. She could feel that he was just as eager as she was.

While their make-out session became heated Daryl's, hand slide up along her waist bringing her tank top with her. His other hand found its way to the side of her neck pushing them closer together.

Ryder wrapped one of her legs around his waist as he pressed it down connecting with hers. She gasped into his mouth when she felt the friction he caused. Before she could think, her body was being pulled up. She landed on her knees straddling his lap. She felt both of his hands on her sides lifting her shirt up and over her head. She allowed him to take her shirt off. The piece of fabric was thrown behind him somewhere she couldn't see. She didn't dare take her eyes off the man in front of her. She wanted to see everything and feel him.

Ryder leaned forward capturing his lips in another kiss, her arms wrapping around his neck. She felt his hands come up and press into her breasts. He was massaging them, feeling her body. She couldn't take it anymore she pulled away from the kiss breathing heavy. Her hands found his leather vest and pulled it off his shoulders. Next, her hands went down grabbing the hem of his shirt pulling it over his raised arms.

Her eyes took in his appearance. His chest was also moving in and out rapidly from their heated kiss. Her eyes roamed over his body. She knew that his body was strong from always being out in the woods, hunting and taking down walkers. She looked up at his face seeing a smirk.

Ryder felt her face heat up. She had been checking him out when he was obviously watching her. She suddenly became self-conscious of herself. Even if she didn't remember having kids she knew that her body did. She must have stretch marks, and her tattoos were probably stretched on her sides. She didn't want to look down and see what the damage was to her body. Even before the outbreak, she hadn't been a confident person. She was an Army Ranger. She could kick ass like any other guy, but that also made her intimidating to the men. Most men didn't like it if their women could kick their ass. She wasn't exactly a guy magnet, so she didn't date. She felt, so inexperienced compared to him.

"Hey… stop thinkin' darlin'." She felt him grab her hands and press them against his chest bringing her out of her thoughts. "Focus on me."

Ryder looked up to his face again. She felt his solid chest under her hands. Hesitantly she started to move her hand along his chest and down to his ribs. She could see his muscles contract at her touch as it moved along his body. She could feel the bulge in his pants where he was excited, but he was holding himself back for her. He was patient with her which she didn't know this man possessed a patient bone in his body. Her hands came up again moving over his chest and moving along his thick biceps. They reacted the same way. He unconsciously flexed and moved his muscles at her touch.

She leaned her body back down on the bed bringing him with her. Once her back was on the bed, she looked up at him and nodded her head. She needed to tell him that it was ok. "Make me forget everything… except you."

His eyes bore into hers. Her words sparked heat in his eyes. He nodded and captured her lips in another heated kiss. She felt his body move over her. He knelt down with his leg between her thighs. He rocked his hips into her waist intentionally rubbing his thigh along her heat. She moaned slightly leaning her chest into his. One of his arms was bracing himself by her head, but the other hand snaked down her body. She could feel his fingers moving through the valley between her breasts. They skimmed down over stomach over her belly button. They got to the edge of her shorts but didn't continue. He pulled away from her mouth moving his head down to one of her breasts. Daryl took one of her nipples into his mouth and started sucking on it. One of Ryder's hands found its way to the back of his head, gently grabbing a handful of hair. The other lifted above her head grabbing onto a metal bar from it. Her chest arched pressing more of her breast into his mouth which he didn't seem to mind.

She felt his hand move along her stomach but didn't descend further. He was teasing her, but his teasing was making her body react in all the right ways. After some time, he switched to the other breast and started sucking and biting on her other nipple. Ryder felt his teeth against her sensitive skin causing her to moan. "Daryl, stop teasing me."

Ryder felt him smirk against her breast but didn't pull away. Finally, she felt his hand move down pushing past the material of her shorts. It wasn't long that she felt his rough hands on her heat. "Daryl," she moaned feeling his touch.

His fingers moved along her slit pressing into her clit. He used his middle finger to rub around it, sending tingling sensations through her body. "Daryl… oh god." She hadn't felt like this in so long, and her body seemed to by hypersensitive since it was the man she loved giving her pleasure.

Daryl pulled his mouth away from her nipple and found his way back to her neck. He pushed his middle finger down into her core. She arched moaning louder into his neck. Her hand in his hair tightened, showing him that he was doing everything correctly. Her other hand wrapped around to his back digging her nails into his shoulder blade.

He added another finger into her making her dig deeper and hide her head in his neck trying to stop herself from being too loud. She moaned into his ear. "Harder baby. Please." His lips pulled away from her neck not being able to take it anymore.

Ryder whined slightly when she felt his fingers leave her. She looked up as Daryl pulled away from her body. She realized what he was doing when he ripped her shorts and panties down her legs dropping them next to the bed. She instantly leaned up kissing his neck and chest. Her hands fumbled with his belt. She undid the button and yanked down the zip practically ripping his pants down.

Ryder watched as Daryl stood up pulling off his boots and socks. He pulled his pants and boxers down stepping out of them. She didn't take her eyes off him and his muscles moving under his skin. His strong tan arms leaned back on the bed covering her again. He found his place between her legs while she wrapped her legs around his waist. She looked up at him. "Please, babe. I need you."

"You never have to ask me darlin'." His hand slipped down between each of their cores. Ryder's breath hitched when she felt him enter her. Her hands that had found her way onto his back again dug into his skin.

She was waiting for him to start moving after he had sheathed himself deep in her, but he didn't. Her eyes opened looking up at him. She could see that he was worried about her and how she would react. "Move," was the only thing that she needed to say for him to start thrusting in her.

She felt him moving deep in her. His length was moving along her walls sending her nerve endings into overdrive. She moved arching her chest into his. She looked up and saw that he was watching her. The harder that he thrusted into her the more her body was vibrating with pleasure.

Daryl leaned down grunting with his mouth next to her ear. "Missed you darlin'."

Her nails dug into his skin scratching up his back. Her other hand moved to his head grabbing a handful of hair. Her body was pressed into his, moaning into his neck. "Baby… I… oh god." She was close to her release.

"Let… go darlin'… I'm with you." He grunted into her ear. She could feel him swelling inside her. He was as close as she was. She felt Daryl's hand slide between them and rub against her clit. The stimulation was exactly what she needed to feel that sensation of falling over the edge. Her climax made her release a string of curses along with, "fuck, Daryl." Her walls clenched around him. With a few more thrusts into her, he was able to find his release not leaving her through his entire orgasm.

When they were both done, and breathing heavy his arms gave under his weight. He landed half on Ryder and half on the bed. He rolled over on his back pulling the blanket over both of them. "Haven't had that in a while." He smirked.

She turned looking at him. "What do you mean?"

His smirk faltered. "Nothin'. Don't worry 'bout it." Ryder felt him grab her hand rubbing his thumb over the metal in her hand. She tried to pull away again, but he was expecting it like usual. He didn't let her pull away. "It took you a long time to tell me what happened even after we got together."

Her eyes watched him while he was looking at her hand. She rolled over and laid her head on his chest feeling his chest rise and fall. He still had a hold of her hand rubbing his thumb over it. "I told you what happened?"

"Mhmm. It was hell considerin' you may be more closed off than I ever was." Ryder didn't say anything, so he kept going. "Said you were in Iraq. You were with your squadron tryin' to get out a couple POW that you guys had intel on. Somethin' went wrong with the extraction mission…"

"… me and another Ranger were grabbed by insurgents." She continued. "I was knocked out when we were taken. When I woke up, I was strapped to a chair. I had duct tape wrapped around my arms, and my legs were bound to the legs of the chair. I came around and noticed that my comrade was in the same position that I was in but he was still unconscious." She closed her eyes thinking back to the time she was in Iraq. "A single man came into the room. His face was covered, so I had no idea who he was. He was yelling at me in Arabic. I had no idea what he was saying. I could only assume that he was trying to get information from me since we were special ops. When I didn't answer him, he grabbed a hammer and started hitting my hands. I… I was being tortured." She scoffed to herself. "When in training they don't teach you how to handle yourself when you're being tortured. I knew that I couldn't say anything. I would rather die than be considered a traitor. Once my hands were rendered useless he moved on to other forms of torture. Some were barbaric making me think I was going to die. Other just made me hurt. At one point, I thought they were going to drown me. They kept pushing my head back throwing a towel over my face. They would pour water from a water jug not allowing me to breathe."

"Darlin'. Stop."

Ryder didn't hear what he was saying. In her mind, she was back in Iraq. "The longer that I went without telling him anything, the more pissed off he got. When… Matt woke up he was yelling at them to stop. I knew he wouldn't talk either. That bastard went over to him and held a gun to his head. He was done playing around. I watched as he held a gun to my friend. He was yelling, and I couldn't understand him, so I didn't know what he was saying."

She felt Daryl move under her pulling her from her thoughts. His hand came up and forced her to look at him. "Stop."

Ryder shook her head. "I need to get this out. I haven't… ever talked about it."

She heard him sigh. "You told me that you watched your friend look you in the eyes. He silently told you to be strong and not worry about him. That guy shot him in the head while you were watchin' tryin' to get you to talk. You didn't know how long you had been there, but there were loud sounds goin' off around you. When you saw your commander, your body passed out."

Ryder nodded. "When I woke up I was bruised, bandaged and sore. Both my hands were wrapped in a cast along with my left leg. I had stitches all over my body. I was a mess. The doctor said that I had to have reconstructive surgery to fix my hands." She pulled her hand off his chest. She turned it over looking at it. She flexed it seeing the metal move around. "Had to have metal bracings in my hand and in my left leg."

She felt Daryl wrap his arm around her back comforting her. "It's over. You ain't there anymore. You're here with me."

She turned her head smiling looking up at him. "Yeah, I guess I am." Ryder moved away from him. She grabbed her underwear and shorts pulling them back on. She found her shirt thrown haphazardly in the corner pulling it on. She threw Daryl a pair of his boxers. She looked over climbing back in bed with him, but he was smiling at her. "What?"

He just shook his head. "Nothing. You may not remember, but that's your routine after we… you know."

She looked at him confused. "It is?" She took a moment to think about why she had gotten up. She actually didn't know why she had gotten up and gotten dressed. She wouldn't have minded laying naked with Daryl, but her body just automatically started moving. "Why?"

Ryder noticed he was about ready to say something but his eyes looked over her shoulder at the doorway. He nodded his head towards the area. She turned and noticed a blonde-haired boy and a dark-haired little girl standing in the door holding hands. The little girl was chewing on her thumbnail like Daryl did when he was nervous.

Daryl leaned up in bed looking over at them. "What's wrong guys?"

They didn't say anything, and neither did Ryder. She didn't know what to do. Mason decided to speak up. "Is mom still acting weird?"

Ryder unconsciously scooted closer to Daryl. He held out his hand to the children. "Come find out."

Both kids ran over to her. Victoria was faster than Mason, but they both jumped onto the bed with her and Daryl. Victoria found the courage to talk. She placed her small hand over Ryder's forehead. "Mommy, are you ok? You aren't sick, are you?"

Ryder looked down at Daryl who was smiling. He didn't say anything. He just nodded his head telling it was ok if she talked. Ryder looked back at her clearing her throat. "Yeah, sweetheart. I'm ok."

Victoria's blinding smile made her heart melt. "Good!" She threw her arms around Ryder's shoulders. The blonde flinched slightly at the sudden weight but her arms wrapped around the younger girl's frame.

Victoria pulled away and flopped down on Daryl's chest when he rolled onto his back. She heard him grunt. Ryder couldn't help but smile at them. She looked over at Mason who was still watching her. She could see that he was more reserved than the younger girl. "You were supposed to take me hunting today. When you didn't come out at your usual time, dad said that he would take me."

Ryder's eyes saddened. She could see that he had been looking forward to it. She laid down next to Daryl on her side leaving space between them. She looked up at Mason and patted the bed. Mason laid down between the two adults. Ryder leaned over kissing him on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I'll take you out tomorrow. Does that work?"

Finally, she was able to get him to smile. He eagerly nodded his head wrapping his arms around her neck. "I'm happy you aren't sick."

Ryder hugged him back looking over at Daryl. Victoria was laying on his chest now her head moving up and down with his breathing. He was looking over at her. Her breath hitched when she saw the adoration, trust and complete love that filled his eyes.

The moment was broken when Mason pulled away from her. She heard Victoria speak up. "Can I come too, Mommy?"

She was about to speak up, but Daryl cut her off. "What did we tell you? When you turn 10, you can go out with mom or me. Until then you stay in the fences." She pouted looking at Daryl who didn't budge when she shot him a puppy dog look. He grabbed her nose. "Not goin' to work on me V."

She wrapped her hands around his chest. She couldn't do much more since his shoulders and chest were much broader than her wingspan. "But daddy."

Ryder smiled when she noticed that Daryl was shaking his head. "No. Mason had to wait. You need to also."

She laid her head back on his chest closing her eyes. "Fine."

His big hand came up and started rubbing her back. "That's my girl."

Ryder laid down next to Mason pulling him into her. He didn't seem to mind. Instead, he moved closer to her. She closed her eyes about ready to fall asleep when she heard Victoria again. "Mommy?"

"What, sweetheart?"

"Will you sing the butterfly song?"

"I will if you both go to sleep."

She saw them both nodding their heads eagerly. She started to sing the lullaby that her grandfather used to sing her. She wondered how many times she had sung it to them. She smiled to herself. She could get used to this.

When she was done, she looked over and noticed that all three of them were sleeping. She laid her head on the pillow with Mason closing her eyes falling asleep.

 **(A/N):** There's the end of Chapter 7. I really hope you guys liked it. This was my first time writing a steamy scene so let me know how I did. If you guys liked it enough and I didn't do a horrible job, then I might incorporate more in the future. Also, I finally was able to make Ryder give up some information about her past!

Thanks, everyone! Don't forget to R&R!


	8. Chapter 8 - Awake

**Chapter 8:** Reunion

Ryder rolled over onto her back. She kept her eyes closed feeling the warmth around her. She smiled thinking about last night. She had a family. She was with Daryl, Mason, and Victoria. She had never thought that she would have been able to have a life in this world, but she was living it.

Her hand moved next to her skimming the bed. She could feel it was empty. She frowned to herself. Daryl must have taken the kids out to let her sleep. She sat up quickly, "shit." She had completely forgotten that she promised Mason she would take him hunting in the morning.

Ryder was about ready to swing her legs over the bed when her breath was stolen by pain in her shoulder. She dropped her back down onto the bed looking up at the ceiling. She furrowed her brows watching the ceiling and noticing it wasn't the cell block. She didn't recognize where she was. Slowly, she sat up on the bed looking around.

The room that she was in was small and dark. There was a candle next to her bed, but it wasn't giving off much light. The room didn't have much in it. She saw her crossbow and other weapons laying on a chair in the corner. Her pack was also sitting on the ground next to the chair. She looked down at herself. There was remanence of dry blood on her shoulder. She could see burnt skin right above her collar bone.

When she noticed the wound, everything had come back to her. The prison was attacked by the Governor. She had been shot during the assault and was able to get out, but she hadn't been able to get out with anyone. Their group was split up. Carol had found her on the side of the road, and then both of them had found Tyreese, Lizzie, and Mika.

She looked down at the floor squeezing the edge of the bed. Ryder kept her head down as a tear fell from her cheek. The life with Daryl was a lie. She had been dreaming. Mason didn't exist, and neither did Victoria. She wasn't married to Daryl, and they didn't have a family together. Her hand came up to her chest covering her heart. It ached for the family that she had lost, that didn't exist except for in her head. Another family was torn away from her. She could still feel the love for her children. She could still feel the love she had for Daryl, but now that love ached because she knew that she wouldn't be able to have it. It was an unobtainable dream. Even if their group was able to find the others and Daryl they would never be together. Her head leaned back looking at the ceiling, two more tears escaping her eyes. Her emotions were all over the place because of one stupid dream.

Ryder took a moment but then steeled herself. She couldn't be doing this. If she stayed in this state, she would die, and that wasn't an option for her. She wiped her tears from her eyes looking down at herself again. She was still in her sports bra and pants. Apparently, Carol couldn't do much while she was unconscious. It wasn't like she was complaining, she didn't like it when people touched her anyway.

She stood up from the bed holding her left arm up laying it on her stomach. The blonde found the door and walked down the hallway leading into what she would consider the living room. Tyreese and Carol were sitting at a wooden table. They seemed sad. It looked like Carol had been crying. Ryder cleared her throat getting the older woman's attention.

Carol's head shot up looking at Ryder. "You're awake. That's good to see."

Ryder noticed the forced smile on the other woman's face which made her frown. "What's going on?"

"How are you feeling?"

Ryder squinted her eyes watching the other woman. She had dodged her question. There was something definitely wrong. She looked over at Tyreese who wasn't looking in her direction. "What is going on Carol?" She looked back over to the older woman.

"Noth…"

Ryder cut her off because she knew exactly what she was going to say. "Don't lie to me."

Carol sighed, looking down at the table. "There was… an incident when you were unconscious."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ryder looked around. It wasn't that late, so it seemed suspicious to her that the girls weren't still up and playing.

Carol still didn't look at her. "Lizzie and Mika…"

Ryder finally realized what was going on. "Are they?"

Carol just nodded her head.

The blonde dropped into a chair next to her. Two more people were gone from their group. They weren't even people they were children. Lizzie and Mika were forced to leave the world too soon because of the way that it was now. Ryder shook her head trying not to think about it. She didn't want to think about it… she couldn't. "Where are we? Terminus?"

The older woman just shook her head. "We are still in the house that we fixed you up in."

"How long have I been out?"

"Just a couple of days."

"What?" Ryder stood up from her chair. She had been unconscious for more than a day? Sure, she was shot, and the grueling process of getting the bullet out exhausted her body, but still, she shouldn't have been out that long. They needed to get to Terminus. They needed to find the others. "We need to leave in the morning. I've already held us up long enough."

Carol looked at her stunned. "Ryder, it wasn't your fault we stayed."

She just shook her head not listening to the other woman. "I shouldn't have been out that long."

"Ryder." The blonde turned looking at Carol. Her strong voice caught her attention. "This is not your fault. You were pushing your body way past when it should have shut down. It was a miracle that you were able to get to the house without passing out."

The blonde sighed looking away from Carol. "We need to leave in the morning. I'm going to get dressed and cleaned up then I'll take watch. I have been sleeping for long enough. You guys need rest." She turned and walked back into the room that had all of her stuff.

In the morning, Ryder was sitting in a chair by the windowsill looking out into the yard. It had been relatively quiet through the night outside. It hadn't been so quiet in her head. Ryder's dream was still bothering her. She didn't know why she had the dream. The only thing that it had accomplished was making her hate her life more. Before she had the dream, she was content with being alone. She preferred it compared to having to deal with people. Now, she knew what it was like to love and feel loved.

Ryder was deep in thought when she felt a hand on her shoulder. The sudden touch startled her. She jumped slightly turning around seeing that it was Carol who had touched her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The blonde just shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I was just thinking."

Carol walked over to her sitting in a chair across from her. "About what?"

"Nothing important."

It took a moment for Carol to respond. "Didn't seem like nothing. It's rare that I see you taken by surprise."

Ryder just looked out the window. She didn't know if she should tell her what she was thinking about or even about her dream. "I had a dream when I was unconscious. It just felt so real." Ryder started rubbing the palms of her hands unconsciously.

Carol watched her. "What was it about?"

"… We were at the prison still. Apparently, we had been living there for 13 years or so after the sickness. The Governor never came and tore down the fences. We were able to have a long life there."

The older woman kept watching Ryder. She could see that she was holding back some information. "What else was there?"

She didn't say anything at first. She looked at Carol out of the corner of her eye. Ryder sighed, "I was married to Daryl, and we had two kids. Mason my… the boy was about 10 or 11. Then, Victoria who was eight or nine."

"So, what's the problem?"

Ryder dropped her head down to the windowsill. She rested her head on her arm that wasn't on her injured side. "It felt too real. I can still feel… everything. They seemed so real. It was just a dream, but it feels like they were real. I feel like I have something missing in my chest now."

Carol allowed a slight smile to cross over her face. Apparently, Ryder's heart was trying to tell her brain something. When she had been in to check on her, every once and a while she could hear Ryle say Daryl's name. She was seeking him out for comfort.

Carol was about ready to say something, but Ryder stood up from her seat. "We need to go." The blonde didn't look at Carol. She wanted to avoid her. She didn't know why she told her all that stuff. It was in the moment, and she had regretted it as soon as it had left her mouth.

"Are you sure you can travel?"

"I'm fine. My shoulder is fine. We need to see if the others are at Terminus."

The older woman watched Ryder leave the room. She didn't even have a bandage on her shoulder. She had a tank top with the heat and cargo pants, but it still bothered her. Ryder didn't seem to be taking care of herself. Before she could stay anything to the younger woman, she was already out the door waiting on the porch for the other two still in the house. Carol sighed standing up. Daryl was going to have his hands full.

The three had been walking for about half an hour. Carol had Judith in her arms with Tyreese next to her. Ryder was leading them with her bow, keeping an eye out for anyone. Ryder turned looking at the two behind her. "We're close. I'm going to get you guys there. Make sure you're safe… but I'm not going to stay."

Carol stepped forward. "Why? You have a place in the group. If anyone should be leaving it's me." She glanced over at Tyreese, but he didn't say anything.

Ryder shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm not part of your group. I'll get you guys together then I need to be alone. I need to leave like I had been planning from the beginning."

There were sounds coming from behind them in the woods. Ryder walked past them with her bow raised. A walker stumbled out of the woods onto the tracks ambling towards them. Without thinking, Ryder released her bolt sending it through the eye socket of the walker. She loaded her crossbow again having some difficulty pulling the string back with her shoulder but managed to get it. She walked over and removed the bolt from the walker's head loading it back into the bow.

There were sounds of more walkers making her turn her head. She instantly knelt down turning back to Carol and Tyreese. "More," she whispered. Carol and Tyreese turned and started to jog away and off the tracks from the herd barreling towards them. Ryder soon followed the two trying to hide behind a mound of dirt and grass. They all watched as the herd moved closer to the tracks. The walkers were coming straight for them. Ryder started looking around trying to find and exit. She pushed Carol and Tyreese trying to get them to leave. They needed a distraction from the walkers to escape, and she could be that distraction.

Carol knew what Ryder was trying to do. Instead of moving away she grabbed the woman's arm trying to pull her with them. "I'm not leaving you behind," Carol whispered.

"You need a dist…" The sound of gunshots stopped Ryder mid-sentence. All the walkers that were on the tracks turned from their original direction and started moving to the shots. All three of them stayed there for about 10 minutes watching the herd move away from them. Finally, the walkers stopped coming out of the woods. Carol, Tyreese and Ryder walked out from their hiding spot and started walking along the tracks again.

Tyreese decided to speak up for the first time since Ryder had been conscious. "That gunfire, it could have been from Terminus."

Ryder walked ahead of them watching for any straggling walkers. She heard Carol behind her. "Someone was attacking them, or they were attacking someone.

"Do we even want to find out?"

"Yeah." She heard Carol respond. "There's another track due East. It'll get us there. We'll be real careful. We're gonna get answers."

Ryder followed behind Carol and Tyreese since she didn't know the way that Carol was talking about. She kept her bow ready just in case. The herd that passed them was huge, and she didn't want to be caught in it. They were keeping quiet, so it shouldn't be a problem, but she didn't want to take any chances.

The group came to an old shack in a small section of the woods. They were about ready to walk through it until they heard someone talking and noticed a car with its door open. "You don't have to tell me. I wipe my own ass."

Ryder walked over to bushes on the edge of the opening. The guy's back was to them, so he didn't know they were there. She looked at Carol, and she could see that the other woman was on edge as she was. He was talking to someone on a walkie-talkie. They couldn't hear what the other person was saying. They could only listen to what the man was responding with.

He walked over to a bag with fireworks in it. "Alex didn't get it. See, I knew the chick with the sword was bad news. Bitch looked like a weapon with a weapon." Ryder looked over at Carol again. They were both thinking the same thing. He must be from Terminus and the woman with the sword was most definitely Michonne. The woman on the other end of the line said something. "Yeah, I told Albert I want the kid's hat after they bleed him out."

The guy couldn't finish his sentence before Ryder leaped from cover behind the bushes. She pushed the end of her crossbow into the man's head. Carol stepped forward as he was raising his hands. "Keep your finger off the button and drop it." He dropped the device while it was responding to what he said.

"Listen, Y'all don't have to do this."

Ryder was already tired of his bullshit. She pressed her crossbow into the back of the guy's head. "Shut up."

He kept his hands raised but didn't stop talking. "Whatever you want, we got a place where everyone's welcome."

Ryder pushed the end of her bow painfully into his neck. "I told you to shut the fuck up."

That time he got the picture. "Okay."

Carol spoke up again. "We're friends of the chick with the sword and the kid in the hat." He didn't respond with the new information Carol had enlightened him with.

Ryder grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him to his feet and dragging him into the shack where they could hold him. They put their stuff down while Ryder kept her bow trained on him. Tyreese came over and tried his hands with a seatbelt. Once he was bound Ryder walked over to Carol helping her sort through the weapons. "If you're going I'm going."

Carol looked over at her. "You're still injured."

Ryder shook her head. "I don't care. I know you can save them yourself but I can't just sit here doing nothing while they are out there."

Carol watched her carefully. "Fine."

The guy in the corner decided to speak up. "They attacked us. We're just holding them."

"I don't believe you," Carol said while wrapping a couple guns around her back.

Tyreese was standing over in the corner holding Judith. "Who else do you have? Do you know their names?"

"We just have the boy and the samurai, that's it. We were just protecting ourselves."

Ryder watched the man sitting in the corner not saying anything. She was getting weapons ready along with Carol. Still, she decided to speak to the man. "I don't believe you."

"There's a bunch of us out there in six different directions. There was a lot of gunfire back home. We need to set off our charges all at the same time to confuse the dead ones away. That's good for you, too."

Carol looked at him with hard eyes. "No, it isn't. There's a herd heading toward Terminus right now. We don't want to confuse them away. We're gonna need their help."

"It's a compound. They'll see you coming. If you even make it that far." He looked at Ryder. "You're hurt. It looks like a gunshot. You won't survive if you go out there attacking it."

Ryder looked back at the man as Carol walked past her out the door. "I don't plan on dying. I plan on killing people." She didn't bother saying anything else. She walked out the door following at after Carol. She had her weapons on her hips and her crossbow on her back. They were ready to infiltrate the compound.

Carol was walking ahead of Ryder with two assault rifles on her back. She had her knife out. Carol had told her how they were getting into the compound. She was fine with the plan since she had escaped once doing the same thing.

There was moaning coming from behind a bush. Carol walked around it coming face to face with a walker. She took it down stabbing the knife in its head. She rolled it onto it's back dropping the weapons that she had around her back. She threw on the poncho they had made out of sheets, cutting open the walker's stomach. Carol started to wipe walker guts and blood all over the poncho. Once it was done, she grabbed mud and rubbed it on her hands, face, and neck to make her look as dead as possible. Once Carol was done Ryder changed places with her doing the same thing.

Ryder hated covering herself in walker guts and blood, especially with the foul smell that it gave off. She was thankful that she wasn't smearing it on her body though. She had a piece of cloth so she wouldn't ruin her clothes and could take off the stench when she was done with it. Once Ryder was done with her painting she stood holding her crossbow nodding to Carol letting her know she was ready.

Both women walked through the woods until they heard yelling. They found their way to a fence looking down they noticed that Rick, Glenn, Bob and Daryl along with other people they didn't recognize were laying on the ground bound and gagged. The people dragging them didn't see the two at the fence, so they left their spot to find another one.

They wrapped around to another part of Terminus. It seemed like that part that they were at now was the front where people would enter and exit through. They could see how big the compound was now. Walkers were around the front while people were stabbing the ones that came up to the fence.

Ryder looked over and noticed Carol looking through the scope of the rifle she had with her. She handed the gun over to Ryder pointing to the white basin. She looked at what Carol was pointing at nodding to her once the other woman held up one of the fireworks from the bag.

She handed Carol back her gun while she grabbed the other one. They heard screaming coming from the people of the compound. Both the woman looked down the road and noticed that the horde that they saw on the tracks had made its way to the fences and was closing in quickly. Everyone behind the fences were running away.

Ryder knelt, grabbing on of the fireworks and placing it in the barrel of the gun she was holding. Carol handed her a lighter. Once Ryder nodded to her telling her she was all set Carol pulled her rifle up and took aim at the propane tank. She fired off a couple of shots hitting the tank, but they ricocheted without breaching the metal. Carol shot it once more, and finally white smoke poured from the hole. Ryder leaned the gun up aiming at the smoke pouring out. She lit the firework trying to cover her ears as much as possible. She heard it shoot off and not soon after there was a loud explosion of the firework setting off the propane leaking out. Both women looked up seeing walkers flying in the sky and other ones laying on the ground.

They quickly grabbed everything moving down around the fence. Ryder and Carol walked down slowly into the herd that was pushing through the barriers. They kept their weapons down at their sides and were trying to keep pace with the dead around them. They couldn't alert the things around them, or their plan would fail. They both walked past a few walkers eating a screaming woman. She had noticed them and were reaching out to them, but she couldn't say anything. Carol and Ryder just walked past her knowing they were bad people and they couldn't help her anyway.

Both women were walking forward, but they noticed that snipers on the roofs were taking out walkers in front of them. They couldn't take a chance of them being shot mistakenly taken for a walker. Carol pulled Ryder into a door frame. She pointed to the man on the roof while she took aim at the man on the ground. Ryder nodded once taking aim. Together they killed both men but moved through the door behind them since they had attracted attention from the walkers moving beside them. Quickly, Ryder shut the door making sure no dead were able to get in and follow them.

Carol and Ryder were moving through the compound. They were far enough away that they could hardly hear the gunshots that were going on outside. They kept moving through rooms, but they couldn't find anyone or anything useful. Ryder held her crossbow up looking through one door when she heard Carol call her name. The blonde moved over to her walking through the room that she had entered.

In the room, there were tables full of stuff. There were kid's toys and personal items all over. There were clothes and also weapons. Ryder entered walking around looking at everything sitting on the tables. Carol walked over to a table full of watches. She picked out one that seemed to fit a guy. Ryder was about ready to say something when she looked over and noticed a crossbow sitting on the weapons table. She walked over making eye contact with Carol. They were reminded why they were there. They needed to go out and find their friends. Ryder walked over and grabbed the crossbow off the table strapping it around her back. She made sure to keep her crossbow in her hand.

They left the room with all the stuff moving through different rooms of the compound again. Ryder noticed that next to the doors there were letters. Some said "A" and some said "B." She wondered why there were letters on the walls. The blonde noticed Carol go into one room lit with candles while she moved down the hallway further checking the other rooms. They still hadn't been able to find anything or anyone. Ryder had thought they were close when they found Daryl's crossbow but no such luck.

Ryder sighed turning around walking back to the room that she saw Carol enter through. Before she could enter the room, she heard gunshots. Quickly, she ran into the room and noticed Carol rolling on the ground fighting with another woman. She raised her bow but couldn't get a clean shot with both rolling around on the ground. She didn't want to accidently hit Carol. Ryder carefully walked around to an exit door where she heard walkers pounding on the door. If she couldn't help Carol, she could at least watch the other entrances to make sure that no one else was going to gang up on them.

After some more rolling around on the floor, Carol was finally able to pull away. She got to her feet and pointed her gun at the woman who had grabbed a candle stick about ready to beat Carol. Ryder walked over standing next to the older woman bow aimed at the other's head.

The woman was panting and breathing heavy, but it also looked like she was going to cry. "The signs… they were real. It was a sanctuary. People came and took this place."

Carol tried to cut her off. "Just tell me where…"

The other woman continued talking like she hadn't even said anything. "And they raped, and they killed, and they laughed over weeks. But we got out, and we fought, and we got it back. And we heard the message… You're the butcher, or you're the cattle."

Ryder couldn't take her talking anymore. They needed to find everyone, and her talking was only stalling them. "The men they pulled from that train car, where are they?"

The other woman just looked at Ryder and Carol not saying anything. Ryder was about to yell at her but was cut off by Carol shooting her in the knee. "Where are they?"

She was looking up at them from her spot on the ground panting through the pain. "Now… point it at my head." She started laughing. "You two could have been with us. You could have listened to what the world is telling you."

Ryder looked over when she saw Carol take half a step forward. "You lead people here, and you take what they have, and you kill them? Is that what this place is?"

The woman on the ground was still panting from her wound. "No, not at first. It's what it had to be. And we're still here."

Ryder began to back away from the woman when she saw Carol doing the same thing. She looked over at her. "You aren't anymore."

Carol walked over to the door with Ryder standing behind her. They hide their weapons as best as they could under their gut filled ponchos. She opened the door, and a group of walkers started stumbling into the room. They both heard the woman screaming behind them as they walked out behind the walkers making their way back outside.

Ryder and Carol walked out of the room calmly. They were met with more walkers roaming around the grounds, but they didn't bother the women. They started moving through the outside. They didn't hear much gunfire anymore. It seemed like that group at Terminus were slowly being wiped out due to their rescue mission. The problem was they still hadn't found their group.

Both woman walked up and were met with the fence blocking the compound from the woods. They saw a train car with the letter "A" painted on the side. Ryder jogged over to the car making sure to not attract attention. She looked inside seeing that there wasn't anyone in there. She pulled out of the car and shook her head at Carol who was watching her expectantly.

Ryder walked back over to Carol leaning into her. "They could have made it out. With all the commotion going on the guys probably got free and released the rest of the group."

Carol nodded in agreement. "I just don't like the chances of them not getting away."

Ryder nodded. She turned looking behind her. "We can't go back in there. We are pushing our luck right now. We could come across more people."

"I know… Come on, let's go." Carol started to jog back to where they had entered the compound.

Ryder followed Carol out of the complex into the woods. She didn't like not knowing what happened to their group. They hadn't seen anyone other than when they were dragging the men away. They could have been killed before they were able to start to diversion. There were too many variables that she didn't like the chances of a bad outcome over a good result.

Once they were far enough away, they stopped. Both Ryder and Carol pulled off their ponchos. Ryder was happy that she could take off the rotten piece of fabric. She wiped her face and hands off with pieces of fabric that didn't have blood covering it. She looked back at Carol who was doing the same thing. She could see the sad look in the woman's eyes. They were both feeling like shit since they didn't know what happened to their friends.

They were figuring out everything that had with them when they heard talking. Both women looked up at each other. Ryder could see hope gleaming in Carol's eyes. They both started walking to the voice.

She heard what sounded like Maggie. "… they will run or die."

Carol walked ahead of Ryder. The group needed to see her first. Rick and Daryl both were facing away from the women when they walked up to them. Daryl was the first to turn around when he heard footsteps behind them. His hard face softened when he noticed who was walking up to them. Carol kept walking forward at a slow pace, but the hunter matched it by running over to the older woman.

Ryder watched as Daryl embraced her in a hug spinning her around. She could feel her heart swell at seeing him again. She hadn't seen him since the prison, but her dream came back to mind. She unconsciously held her chest over her heart with her hand. She could feel her chest pounding rapidly with the beat of her heart. She saw that Daryl was practically crying while holding onto Carol in a death grip.

The rest of the group started walking over, but Ryder took a few steps back. She didn't feel right taking the moment away from everyone. She could see that they were all together. She didn't need to be here anymore.

Ryder watched as Daryl pulled away from Carol and Rick walked up to her. Ryder laid Daryl's bow on the ground and the rifle she had been carrying. The blonde turned and walked away towards the cabin they had left their stuff in. She would tell Tyreese that everyone was safe and then leave before anyone knew she had been involved.

Before Ryder could get away completely, she heard Rick as Carol. "Did you do that?"

She didn't hear Carol respond for a minute. "It was Ryder… and…"

Ryder heard her stop talking. She assumed the older woman was trying to find her. She was out of sight when she heard footsteps behind her. "Hey."

She stopped looking behind her. Daryl was standing there watching her. He didn't say anything, but the rest of the group caught up to both of them.

Rick walked up to Ryder. "Where are you going?"

Ryder watched Rick for a second then scanned over the rest of the group. "It's time for me to leave. Your group is back together. I'm happy you guys were able to find everyone."

"Your group?" Rick asked reciting what she had said.

Ryder nodded not saying anything to him.

"Ryder this is your group too." Rick waited for her to respond but when she didn't he continued. "You helped us get medicine for our people. You helped when we were attacked, taking a bullet in the process." Rick pointed to her shoulder. Ryder couldn't help but look down away from everyone looking at her. "You helped Carol save us from Terminus when we were going to die. You have earned your place with us… as part of our family."

Ryder looked up at the word family. There isn't any way that they considered her family. She looked up at Rick then behind him to Maggie. She smiled warmly to her nodding her head in agreement. Her eyes skimmed over everyone landing on Carol. She was also smiling at her. She could see in the woman's eyes that she wanted her to stay with the group. Before she looked away, her eyes found the pair of steel blue that she had been trying to avoid. Daryl didn't do anything other than stare into her eyes. She could feel her heart constricting. Every time she saw him, she thought back to her dream. Every time she thought back to her dream, she could feel her chest start to ache. She didn't know if it was a good idea staying with these people.

Daryl had noticed that when Carol was talking Ryder had slipped away. He didn't know what she was doing. When Carol turned around looking for the blonde woman it finally dawned on him that she was leaving. Daryl grabbed his crossbow following after her. He couldn't just let her leave the group. Did she still believe she didn't belong with them? She had saved their asses numerous times in the last couples weeks. He finally caught up to her yelling getting her attention. She turned around facing him. It felt good to have her back. She had wormed her way into the group without even realizing what she had done.

He heard Rick and the rest of the group came up behind him. They were talking back and forth, but Daryl didn't bother with listening. He already knew what Rick was doing. He was trying to convince her to stay. Daryl watched her look at the group when Rick was praising her. She apparently didn't get it very often and didn't take compliments well like him. When Rick had mentioned the word family, it caught her attention. Daryl could see there was a longing in her eyes. He could see so much sadness and pain and hurt it practically took his breath away. He wanted her to stay around so he could figure this woman out. She was a complete mystery to the group, and he didn't like not knowing.

Daryl watched as she was looking around to the group. Her eyes stopped on his. He wanted to acknowledge that he wanted her around too but he didn't know how to show it. He wasn't good at showing emotions. His eyes flicked down noticing a wound on her shoulder. It was recent. She probably got hit when she was helping them fight at the prison. He could tell that the skin was burnt. He inwardly flinched when it clicked in his head that Carol or someone had to cauterize her wound. It wasn't surprising considering they didn't have any supplies with them when they had to run out of the prison.

Ryder finally sighed before turning back around. "We have something that you need to see." She started walking back to the cabin where Tyreese and Judith had been hiding out. Before she could get too far, she felt someone walk up to her and wrap their arms around her. She turned looking up seeing that Rick had enveloped her in a hug. She didn't like touching, but her body didn't flinch when she felt his arms wrap around her. She slowly lifted her arms up and hugged him back. She heard him say "thank you" in her ear. Ryder couldn't say anything. All she could do was nod, and she knew it was enough because he could feel it. She pulled away and started walking back to the cabin.

When they made it there, Tyreese was standing on the porch holding Judith. She noticed that when Rick, Sasha, and Carl caught sight of their loved ones they started sprinting to the cabin. Rick grabbed Judith in his arms and started crying while Carl was with him. Sasha ran over to his brother wrapping him in a big hug.

Ryder smiled at the group in front of her. She was happy that everyone was reunited. She still didn't know if her being with them would work out, but she would give it a try. She already had been with them through a lot. Plus, she didn't know if she wanted to leave a certain hunter behind anymore. The blonde heard gravel crunching next to her. She didn't bother looking up because she already knew who it was. "You know, Rick's right. You belong with us. You're family."

Ryder closed her eyes at Daryl's words. She hoped that she could be his family, but that would only be in her dreams. She would just have to handle being around him and in his presence.

 **(A/N):** Yay! Everyone is back together again. Who else knew that was happening with Ryder? Was I able to fake anyone out? No? Ok well, it was fun writing them together. Now just to see how long it takes for Ryder to make a move on a certain redneck. She also decided to stay! Everything is working out.

Thanks, guys! Don't forget to R&R!


	9. Chapter 9 - St Sarahs

**Chapter 9:** St. Sarah's

Ryder was sitting in a chair surrounded by black. She was looking around, but she couldn't see anything other than herself. She could feel her chest starting to tighten as the familiar feeling of a panic attack began to rip through her chest. She closed her eyes trying to calm her body down, but her chest kept constricting.

While her eyes were closed, there was a light that brightened the room. She opened her eyes and was met face to face with Daryl. The man was strapped to a chair as she was. His mouth was bound, and he was looking at her.

The blonde's eyes widened in surprise. Daryl wasn't supposed to be there. She was overseas, and he shouldn't be sitting in the chair across from her. Before she could think anything else, she was met with the familiar pain of being tortured. Her mind had become numb to the pain since she had experienced it more than she could count.

Finally, when the man was pissed off and tired of her not saying anything, he walked over to the hunter raising a gun to his head. The man released the cloth allowing it to fall from Daryl's mouth but he still didn't say anything. He didn't take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him. She met his eyes and the intensity they held took her breath away. Her chest was constricting and blocking herself from breathing. She knew what was going to happen to him.

Ryder heard the gun cock. The sound hit her ears, and she couldn't take it anymore. The blonde started to scream at her abductor. "Don't! Stop! Don't fucking touch him! You want me not him!"

Through her screaming, she didn't take her eyes off the man. They were watering, and her vision was blurry, but she couldn't look away. She heard Daryl talking, "it's your fault." Then the sound of a gunshot rang through the room.

The blonde started screaming bloody murder. She was shaking in her chair trying to get free of her bonds. She was screaming his name over and over. Her throat was hurting, and she started to lose her voice. She closed her eyes as more tears fell from them.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't in the room anymore. She was laying on her back looking into the same blue eyes that she had just seen die. They weren't the same though. This set of blue eyes were full of worry. She was watching him, but her hand shot to her chest. She couldn't breathe.

Ryder sat up pushing Daryl in the process. Carol was on the other side of her sleeping bag looking just as worried as Daryl was. She brought her hand to her chest and throat scratching at it. She couldn't breathe, and that's the shittiest part of a panic attack. The chest starts to constrict which makes it hard to breathe. Then, the body starts to panic even more since it can't get enough air. Ryder noticed Carol talking, but she couldn't hear anything other than her own heartbeat in her ears.

She looked over at Daryl when she noticed his hand gently wrapping around her wrist. He took her hand and placed it against his chest against his heart. She saw him talking to her, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. The blonde closed her eyes still gripping her neck with her other hand. She could feel Daryl's heartbeat. She focused only on his chest and his beating heart. After a couple of seconds of trying to gain her composure, she could feel her chest start to loosen. Her chest stopped heaving, and she was finally able to take deep calming breaths steadying herself.

Ryder opened her eyes looking up at the two people by her spot on the ground. They didn't say anything to her waiting for her to talk. She looked around and she felt relief flood her since she didn't wake anyone else up with her attack.

"Ryder." The blonde turned looking over at Carol. She could see the concern in the woman's eyes.

"I'm fine Carol. It happens sometimes."

"Ok… I'm going to get some sleep. You don't seem like you're going to be getting any for the rest of the night."

Ryder just nodded to her. The older woman had been right. She wasn't going to be able to sleep. She wasn't ever able to sleep after one of her nightmares. This one especially shook her since it wasn't Matt who had been sitting in the chair across from her. It had been Daryl, and he had blamed her for something. He had blamed her for the death of someone.

Carol walked away from them finding her spot around the fire that had practically died. Ryder looked over at Daryl seeing that he was watching her trying to figure out what had just happened. She felt a pressure on her wrist. She looked down, and Daryl was still holding her hand against his chest. Ryder started to blush slightly taking in the scene before her. She pulled her hand away from the hunter's chest. She couldn't tell since it was dark but it looked like he flushed a shade darker.

Daryl felt the woman across from him pulling her hand away from his chest. He had forgotten that he had done what Carol told him to try and calm Ryder down. He hadn't ever seen someone have a panic attack before and he didn't want to watch anyone have another one. He felt helpless watching her gasping for air and trying to open her airways. He had asked Carol what was happening and she had just told him she was having a panic attack. The older woman told him that most of the time when someone has a panic attack they need something to focus on. Since Ryder's had been so severe, she couldn't hear what they were saying. As soon as Carol had mentioned a heartbeat, he understood and had placed Ryder's hand over his chest. It took her a while, but she was finally able to calm down.

Daryl watched as she stood up from her spot on the ground walking over to the spot they had been sitting on log. She had grabbed her crossbow since she needed it to keep watch.

Ryder sat on the log. Daryl had come over and sat next to her. "You can go to sleep. I can cover watch by myself."

Daryl just shook his head.

"Whatever." Ryder dismissed looking around at the dark woods around her. It was quiet except for the occasional sound of their group.

Daryl looked at the blonde out of the corner of his eye. "It happen often?"

Ryder just shrugged her shoulders. "Depends on what nightmare decides to show itself."

"What one was it this time?"

The blonde turned looking at Daryl. She didn't tell people this stuff. Of course, she couldn't keep being a hard ass either. If she was going to stay with the group, then she needed to soften up a bit. It wasn't like she had a problem with anything in her past since it had been so long. It was only when she felt like she was back in the room. That was when her body went into panic mode. Ryder sighed, "You already know that I was part of a special ops team, a Ranger."

Daryl turned his body towards her a little facing her more. He was surprised that she was telling him anything from her past. It seemed like she was starting to open up. He nodded confirming that he remembered her telling him back at the prison.

"We were on a mission to rescue a couple POWs at an Iraqi base. We were able to get them out, but one of our men stepped on an IED. The explosion knocked me back while one of my comrades was knocked unconscious. I told everyone to continue and finish the mission. The bomb that exploded set shrapnel into my left side. My leg got most of it though." Ryder started rubbing her hands together thinking back to that time.

Daryl was listening intently to her story. This woman in front of him had been through so much. He could understand why she was closed off from everyone. He didn't dare interrupt her since he wanted to hear the rest of what happened.

"Insurgents came and took me and my comrade, Matt. They took us into a room, but he was still unconscious while I wasn't. They started to torture me. They smashed my hands, broke my ribs, broke my left leg since it was already damaged. Gagged me with water torture making me think I would drown. I wouldn't answer their questions. I couldn't. I was a Ranger. It was against our code to be so low as to give up information to the enemy. Matt had woken up around the time that my torturer was pissed off. Instead of doing anything else he held a gun up to my friend's head expecting me to talk. I kept my mouth shut and he shot him right in front of me." Ryder flexed her hands staring at the sky. She wasn't looking at anything in particular. She just didn't want to look at Daryl. She knew what she was going to see if she looked over at him. She hated it when people pitied her after asking her what had happened.

Daryl sat in stunned silence. How was she still alive? If she was special ops, then it shouldn't surprise him too much, but he didn't know her as a soldier. He knew her as a civilian trying to survive by not getting eaten by walking corpses. Those two people were very different in his mind.

Ryder continued. She needed to finish her story. It was more for herself than for Daryl though. "When I was rescued I wasn't awake. I woke up in the hospital. Both my hands were in casts. I had a cast on my left leg. I had stitches all over my body. That's where I got this scar." Ryder pointed to the scar on her eyebrow. "My hands were broken so bad that they needed to use metal to reconstruct as much as they could. It was the same for my leg."

Daryl finally found his voice. "The tech tattoo on your leg?"

Ryder just nodded looking over at him. "It reminds me on the outside how much a freak I am. I don't feel completely human anymore." Ryder looked down at her hands flexing them. She could see the metal moving unnaturally. She looked over and saw that Daryl was also watching her hands in her lap.

To her surprise when she had looked at him she didn't see pity in his eyes. He was curious. That went without saying. She thought she could see a bit of pissed too, but she couldn't tell. Ryder thought for a moment longer. She handed her left hand over to Daryl. The man just looked up at her confused.

Daryl saw her nod her head at him. His hands slowly came up to hers, gently capturing it in his. He brushed his thumb over the middle of her palm. He could feel the metal that she was talking about. It felt weird. It didn't feel smooth like his hand did. Daryl had already noticed that her bones moved differently, but he never knew why. He dropped his hands on his leg not letting go of hers. "You know, you're wrong."

Ryder just kept looking at him waiting for him to continue.

"'Bout not being completely human. In this world, you're either living or the dead. Nothin' else to it."

"Hmm. I've never thought about it that way."

"What 'bout your other tattoos?"

Ryder just smiled at him. This was the longest they had talked, and she didn't hate it. She wanted to keep talking to him, but she couldn't give everything up at once. She pulled her hand from his gently. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

The next day everyone was walking through the woods. Rick was trying to keep them in a tight formation since Daryl had heard something in the woods the previous night. Rick's head was on a constant swivel trying to make sure he would be able to see something coming if anything did happen. Rick was at the front of the group leading them. Daryl was in the middle also looking around like a hawk. Ryder brought up the rear watching everyone in the group and also watching the woods. Rick had come to her earlier in the day and asked her if she could take up watching the back. It made him feel more comfortable to have someone experienced in the back. She had just nodded to him not minding being in the back.

Ryder was walking along. She wasn't far away from the group, but she wasn't close to them either. It was hard for her to be around a group like what they had. Even for the apocalypse, their group was pretty big. She wasn't used to being around people. It was the reason why she decided to take watch at night. It allowed her to be alone for a few hours away from people constantly watching her trying to figure her out. She was trying to assimilate with them more she was just having a hard time.

The blonde was pulled from her thoughts when she felt the presence of someone standing next to her that wasn't there before. She looked over and noticed that the big red headed guy that had joined them after the prison was walking next to her. She didn't bother saying anything. If he had something to say then he would ask her.

She could feel him looking at her, but he wasn't saying anything either. Ryder huffed to herself quietly. He didn't know her, but he knew how to push her buttons. She hated it when people stared at her. She looked over at the big guy again, but he still didn't say anything. Finally, she couldn't take it. "What do you want?"

"We didn't make proper introductions back when you and that firecracker up there broke us out of that hell hole." The big guy pointed ahead of them to Carol.

Ryder just shrugged her shoulders. She was about ready to dismiss him, but she scolded herself. She needed to put in an effort with everyone. "Jordyn Ryder. Just call me Ryder."

"Abraham." He stuck out his hand for a shake, but Ryder just looked at it.

"No offense but I don't shake hands." She didn't need more people figuring out she was half a fucking machine. She had already told Daryl but it was just him while they were on watch and he wouldn't tell anyone.

Abraham watched her for a second but nodded his head once. "Fair enough."

Ryder kept walking behind the group watching the woods, but the red head was still walking next to her. She didn't understand why he didn't just leave her alone and walk next to his girlfriend. She looked up at him again. "Do you need something else?"

Abraham just smirked at her. "You don't like people being 'round you, do you?"

"How could you tell?" She asked him with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Abraham just chuckled to himself. "Were you military?"

"Army."

"Where were you stationed?"

Ryder looked up at him. "What's with the 20 questions?"

"Ever since you and she saved us by yourselves I was intrigued. Just tryin' to get friendly." She didn't need to know that he was trying to figure out if she would be a good person to help with getting Eugene to Washington. She was more than capable. He just needed to get a read on her since she mostly kept to herself.

Ryder kept watching him. She was trying to see if she could tell her had ulterior motives. He didn't seem too bad just nosey. She looked ahead of the group again scanning the area. "Army Ranger in Iraq."

Since he had started talking that was the first time that he hadn't responded to her. Ryder looked over to the other man who was watching her with squinted eyes. She could tell he didn't believe her. Since he had been military or whatever he knew what it was like getting in to be a Ranger. That's the best she could tell as to why he didn't seem to believe her. She sighed turning around walking backward. She lifted up her shirt showing him the ranger creed that she had tattooed on her side. The big guy looked down, and his eyes scanned over the letters. Once he was done, she pulled her shirt back down and faced forward again. "Believe me now?"

"Just hard as shit to be a Ranger. Wasn't expecting a thing like you to be one."

She scowled looking at him. "Do not stereotype me." She didn't care what anyone thought about her. She wasn't a normal woman, and she didn't mind. One thing that would set her off though was being stereotyped by other people, man or woman. Since she was more of a guy than a girl, a lot of people also thought she was a lesbian. She wasn't, but because of the way she was, that's what people thought. It annoyed her to no end.

Abraham's hands came up defending himself. "Don't get your panties knotted up. Just don't hear that often."

"You hardly hear about people in the army anymore with most people being dead." Ryder looked over and noticed his girlfriend was watching them. She didn't seem pissed off, but she kept turning her head to see if they did anything. "Think your girlfriend wants you." Abraham nodded and walked away from her.

The group had been walking for another 20 minutes. They had taken down a few walkers, but it wasn't many. All of a sudden, the sound of a man yelling in the distance caught everyone's attention. "Help! Help, anybody! Help!"

Rick ran forward halting everyone with his hand telling them to stop. Ryder walked ahead of the group standing next to Rick and Daryl listening to the man yelling. Her instincts said to go help but she couldn't without Rick making a choice. She didn't want to put the rest of the group in danger. Carl came over to his dad looking at him pleadingly. "Dad, come on." He started walking in the direction of the man turning around again trying to get his father to follow him. "Come on."

The sound of the man yelling in the distance carried through the trees. "Anyone, help!"

Rick looked back at the group but then forward again. He started to move that way, and Ryder didn't hesitate. She began leading the group with Carl next to her holding her bow up. They came around a group of trees coming to a large boulder. There were five or six walkers around trying to reach up and grab a man by the foot.

Ryder had moved forward from the group when she noticed that they were getting closer. She released a bolt from her bow. She moved her bow to her back in the same motion taking out her tomahawk. She threw it at another walker while pulling her machete. She ran up to another one off to the side. She was going to stab it in the head, but it turned coming towards her at the last second. Another walker came around the corner of the boulder that she couldn't see. She was about ready to take out the first one she was struggling with, but another bolt fired and killed the walker she was fighting. Ryder shoved her machete in the head of the other walker. She turned nodding her thanks to Daryl who was in the process of killing another one with his machete.

Everyone else dispatched their walkers. Ryder walked over while Rick was trying to coax the man on the rock down. She pulled Daryl's bolt from the walker's eye, her tomahawk she had thrown earlier and her other bolt. She handed Daryl his bolt and walked over to stand next to Rick while she was loading her crossbow again.

The man on the rock slide down still obviously shaking from the walker attack. It could also have been from a new group of people around, but she still couldn't tell. Rick was watching him making sure he didn't try anything with them. "You Okay?"

The black man didn't say anything. He leaned forward throwing a finger up. He then proceeded to lean over and puke. Ryder, Daryl, and Rick all looked around at each other practically rolling their eyes at the other man. He looked up after he got done wiping his mouth. "Sorry. Yes. Thank you." He straightened his clothes, looking around the everyone in the group. "I'm Gabriel."

"Do you have any weapons on you?" Rick asked eyeing the man.

Gabriel started to laugh and look around, but he stopped when he noticed that the group was serious. "Do I look like I would have any weapons?"

Ryder watched the exchange between the two men. The man in front of them may be a priest or was a priest, but that didn't mean he hadn't resorted to killing people and things. It was necessary in this new world. She was surprised that he had survived this long.

Abraham decided to speak up before Rick. "We don't give two short and curlies what it looks like."

Gabriel was taken aback slightly by the group. "I have no weapons of any kind. The word of God is the only protection I need."

Ryder just rolled her eyes at the man. Word of God doesn't mean shit anymore. It didn't mean shit to her before the world fell. Daryl apparently had a same thought as her. "Sure didn't look like it."

She man started smiling again. "I called for help. Help came." He looked around the group, smiling dropping. Everyone was just staring at him since they were all surprised with how this man acted. "Do you have… have any food? Whatever I… I had left, it just hit the ground."

Ryder noticed Carl digging around in his pockets. "We've got some pecans."

Gabriel took them from his hand. "Thank you." Judith started to make noises from where she was sitting in Tyreese's grip. The other man looked up noticing. "That's a beautiful child." Everyone in the group all looked at Rick, but the older man didn't say anything to him about his comment. He moved around awkwardly looking down then back up. "Do you have a camp?"

Rick immediately responded that time. "No. Do you?"

Gabriel looked around to the group again. It looked like he was looking at them making sure that they were safe enough to bring back to where he had been holding up. "I have a church."

Rick was apparently tired of his talking. "Hold your hands above your head." He walked forward and started patting the priest down making sure that he didn't have any weapons on him. "How many walkers have you killed?"

Ryder watched as Rick was making sure the other man was safe. She looked around behind her and behind the other members of their group. She knew what these questions were. Rick didn't ask them for everyone. She noticed that he hadn't asked any of the three that were new to the group. That could have also been because they were at Terminus together and they had fought with them. It could also be that he only asked people who he thought were dangerous. That meant that he thought she had been dangerous when they first met. Of course, Ryder wasn't surprised since she had held him at bow point almost the entire time they talked.

She looked back up to Rick and Gabriel. "Not any, actually."

Rick forced the other man to turn around facing the boulder and Michonne who was standing next to it. "Turn around. How many people have you killed."

She could see that Gabriel was surprised that Rick had asked him that question. "None," the priest didn't get that this world changes people and that without laws and rules killing another human being wasn't off the table if someone could handle it morally.

Once Rick was done checking the other man he stood up and stared him down. "Why?"

Gabriel backed away from him a step. He looked scared now with Rick asking him the questions. To be fair, he did look scared the entire time the group had been talking to him. The walkers shook him pretty good. "Because the Lord abhors violence."

Rick watched him getting up into the other man's face. "What have you done?" Gabriel was looking around at him and also at the group. It seemed like he was trying to get out of answering the question. He seemed extra uncomfortable when Rick asked him. "We've all done something."

"I'm a sinner. I sin almost every day. But those sins, I confess them to God, not strangers."

Michonne decided to speak up and try to break the tension between the two men that had been forming. "You said you had a church?" He responded with nodding and started walking the way to the church.

After about 10 minutes of walking and an uncomfortable joke made by Gabriel, the group had made it to the church that he had been talking about. Ryder and the rest of the group walked up to the steps of St. Sarah's Church. Gabriel was going to unlock and open the door, but Rick stopped him. "Hold up. Can we take a look around first?" He walked up the steps holding his hand out for the keys. "We just want to hold onto our squirrels." The priest dropped them in Rick's hands. He looked over and motioned for Ryder, Daryl, Michonne and a few others to go with him into the church.

They entered all walking along behind each other. Once they got in, they split up half on one side and half on the other side of the church. They were checking behind and between the pews. There were doors on each side of the church. Michonne walked over with Ryder to one of the rooms. Michonne stepped up to the door standing off to the side. Ryder held up her bow and nodded once telling Michonne to open the door. The other woman did, and Ryder walked in looking around ready to kill anything that was hiding behind the door. They checked the bathroom and some other things around them like closets. Ryder dropped her bow looking around at everything in the room. They hadn't come across any walkers and considering how quiet everyone else was they hadn't found anything either.

Everyone was pulled from their search when they heard a whistle. They made their way out to the front to where the rest of the group was waiting. Rick handed Gabriel his keys back to him. "I spent months here without stepping out the front door. If you found someone inside, well, it would have been surprising."

Rick looked around at the area surrounding them. "Thanks for this."

Abraham came up to Rick from around the corner of the church. "We found a short bus out back. It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in less than a day or two. Father here says he doesn't want it. Looks like we found ourselves some transport… You understand what's at stake here, right?"

Rick just pushed down Judith's hair that was sticking up not bothering to look at Abraham. "Yes, I do."

Michonne spoke up since Rick wasn't saying much. "Now that we can take a breath…"

Before she could get anything else out Abraham, cut her off. "We take a breath, we slow down, shit inevitably goes down."

Michonne wasn't having any of the shit that Abraham was dealing. "We need supplies no matter what we do next."

Rick done giving attention to Judith and done in his thoughts broke up the two arguing. "That's right. Water, food, ammunition."

Rick turned around leading the rest of the group inside. Daryl stood at the door waiting for everyone to walk inside. "Short bus ain't goin' nowhere. Bring you back some baked beans." He then followed Rick inside the church.

Ryder watched as everyone was going inside. Some like Glenn, Sasha and Tara had stopped to talk to red about going on the trip to Washington. Ryder didn't hear what they said because she turned away from the entrance and started walking around the church. She had a bad relationship with the Lord, and she didn't want to be in the church yet. She felt better doing a perimeter check again. She was still curious about what Daryl had heard when they were sleeping the other night. It was when she had still been asleep, so she hadn't heard it.

The blonde walked around at the edge of the tree line with her bow in her hands. She was scanning the tree line. She didn't hear anything. She didn't even hear any walkers which was nice. It seemed peaceful in the area. That feeling of peace didn't sit well with her. It was the calm before the storm. Something was going to happen. She could feel it she just didn't know what or when that something would come along and hurt the group she was with.

"Whatcha doin'?"

She hadn't heard anyone come up behind her. Her body tensed but relaxed turned around seeing that Daryl was standing in front of her with his crossbow around his back. "Making sure we are alone here."

Daryl nodded. "Rick's goin' to find more food with a group and that priest. Carol and I are goin' to get water for the group. Wanna come with us?"

Ryder started walking to the front of the church passing him. "Sure."

All three of them had grabbed their water jugs. They made the trek to the stream that they had passed when they had made their way back with Gabriel. During this time, they wanted to look around the area so they decided to walk back on the road that would lead them back to the church. Daryl and Carol were walking in front with Ryder bringing up the rear.

To Ryder's surprise, Daryl spoke up to break their silence. "Hey, I get it. You don't want to talk about it. You okay?"

Carol just looked over and smiled at him trying to reassure him. "Gotta be."

"We get to start over." He looked over at Carol and then back at Ryder before looking ahead of him again. "All of us with each other. You guys saved us all by yourselves."

Carol tried deflecting the compliment. "We got lucky."

Ryder just scoffed to herself. Damn right they got lucky. With that many walkers roaming around and only a piece of cloth stopping them from ripping them apart, she would call it more than luck. They also had the added fact that the people of Terminus were also running around trying to kill as many of them as they could. They had no idea where the rest of their group was or if they had gotten out alive. Saying they had gotten lucky was definitely an understatement. "We all should be dead." Both of them looked back at her. She noticed them looking at her, but she just shrugged. "What? It's the truth."

The two couldn't say anything against her statement because they both knew that she was telling the truth. The group had major luck, but they also had major bad luck. This last time was one of their lucky spots.

The three came up over a hill and noticed a car sitting off to the side. It looked relatively untouched. They were walking to it when Carol spoke up. "I'll check it."

Daryl just nodded. "All right."

They made it to the car, and Carol hopped in the driver's side checking it. The car still made noise and tried rolling over, but it didn't. Carol tried it again, but it still didn't start. Ryder dropped the jugs of water she was holding and hit that trunk. "Pop the trunk."

She saw Carol get out of the car with the keys in her hand. She walked to the back and opened it with the ring. While she was looking around Daryl called out to her again. "Hey." He made a point to look at both the women standing by the car. "We ain't dead. And whatever happened, happened." Carol looked back into the trunk grabbing a battery jumper from under a blanket. "Let's start over."

Ryder could tell that they were talking about something else now. She walked over to the side a little trying to give them some space. She was looking out into the trees stretching her shoulder. The wound from the bullet was getting better, but she kept overusing it. They hadn't really taken the time to slow down, and she hadn't taken the time to take care of it. It was still bothering her and hurting like a bitch after too much use. Plus, with the burn it wasn't allowing her skin to stretch so the scab over the wound was pulling and hurting more.

She heard Carol respond to Daryl. "I want to."

"Well, you can."

Ryder could sense that their conversation was done. She turned back around still stretching her shoulder. Carol shut the lid of the trunk leaving the jump box back there. "We should leave this here for backup in case things go south at the church." She picked up her jugs and started walking away.

Ryder bent down to grab her jugs wincing a little at the weight that was starting to get to her. Daryl had seen her wince even if it was a slight movement. "Want me to carry one of those?" He lifted his hand up to her, but in the process, a jug slipped out of his grip.

Both the women turned back to them smiling almost laughing as he took a step back awkwardly rubbing his face. "No. I got it," Ryder smiled at him. He bent down grabbing the jug with the water that was left in it. They started making their way back to the church.

The three of them had made it back to the church before everyone else, but it wasn't long when the rest of the people that had gone out to scavenge had come back. Rick had luck with getting food for them to eat. Everyone was happy to finally have a place to sit down and rest. They had a place to rest for a little while. They also hadn't had much food in a while so they decided to splurge a little and open a few cans so everyone could get a few different things to eat.

Ryder had finished eating and was standing against the wall of the church while everyone else was sitting in a group talking and laughing with each other. Abraham walked forward and started to speak to the entire group. "I'd like to propose a toast..." Ryder pushed off the wall making her way to the door of the church. She didn't want to be in there any longer and if Abraham was talking it was going to be about the trip to Washington. That was the only thing that he talked about when it came to addressing the big group.

She walked out stepping down onto the ground. She walked over and started walking around the perimeter like she had been doing earlier. If she was honest with herself, then she didn't care where they went. She would follow Rick wherever he decided to go. He was their leader, and she trusted his judgment and his calls.

Ryder was walking around to the front of the church making a second pass when she heard a twig snap in the woods beyond where she could see. Instantly she was on alert. She brought her crossbow up aiming it into the trees. This was a time when she wished that she had a flashlight or could see in the dark.

She turned and looked back to the church but looked forward moving slowly into the tree line. She didn't hear any moaning or snarling like there was a walker around. She stepped through the brush making sure to not make noise. Her eyes scanned over what little she could see in front of her, but nothing stood out. There was a sound behind her. She turned back and noticed that Bob had stepped out from the church and was starting to walk in the direction that she was in.

Ryder looked into the darkness one last time. She still couldn't see anything, and she hadn't heard anything since that one snap. It could have been just an animal but the fact that Daryl had heard something the other night made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn't like she could do anything right now though. It was too dark. She would just tell the group that she heard something. Rick would be able to figure out what they should do.

The blonde turned around walking over to Bob. She raised her hand and was about ready to call out when there has another snap right behind her, and there was a feeling of pain in the back of her head. Instantly she saw black, and her head felt like it had exploded. She felt her body land on the ground then she couldn't feel anything.

 **(A/N):** I know guys! Another cliffhanger. I'm sorry. I was planning on going further in the story but it just turned out to be this. This chapter is a little slower to just get the group into the church. It will be more action packed next chapter. I promise! I also want to say thank you to **lalilou10** for all the reviews on the previous chapters. I'm glad that you are enjoying that story! It makes my day hearing from you guys and makes me want to write more!

Anyway, don't forget to R&R.


	10. Chapter 10 - Oh My

**(A/N):** Hey everyone. I'm super sorry it's taken me so long to put up another chapter. I started this story when I was attending college and didn't have much going on. It's summer now, and I have so much going on it's hard to find the time to write more chapters. I do plan on writing more and finishing this story it will just take me a little while to complete. Just hang in there with me and keep rating and reviewing. It always makes me happy knowing what you guys are thinking and makes me want to write more for you!

I'm going to be sticking to the show pretty close until they get to Alexandria. There will be little differences, but more of my ideas will play into the story when we get to the town.

 **Chapter 10: Hospitals & Cannibals & Walkers, Oh My**

Ryder came to consciousness but didn't open her eyes. She could feel throbbing at the base of her skull that was giving her a major headache. She couldn't remember what had happened and why there was so much pain in her head. The last thing she remembered was that she was with everyone in the church. They were celebrating because of all the food they had found.

The blonde racked her brain trying to figure out what had happened. She kept her eyes closed and took check of her body. She was currently sitting, and her hands were tied behind her back, but her legs weren't bound. She could feel a breeze, so she assumed that she was tied up outside. There were sounds of chewing and gnawing. She couldn't tell, but it was probably walkers who were chewing on something. That idea made her open her eyes and try to figure out how to get out of her current predicament.

Ryder looked around examining her surroundings. Off to her right, she could see someone standing in front of a glass window or door. There were walkers pushing against the glass. The man standing there lifted his hand up to the glass. "This glass is gonna break sooner or later. Nothing lasts too long anymore." The man turned around and she realized that it was the leader from Terminus.

She scowled at him pulling against her ropes, but they were tied too tight. She looked to her left and noticed that there was a fire going and there were other people gathered around it eating something. She determined that the chewing sounds were the other people of the small group. That's when a lump of something moved slightly. She looked harder at it, and that's when she could tell that it was Bob who was sitting on the ground. He was still unconscious.

Before she could look around anymore the man over by the glass started to walk forward. "We marked our way here so that we could find our way back after. So stupid, right? I mean… back to what?" He walked over and knelt down beside Ryder. "It wasn't just a trap. It was gonna be a choice. You join us or feed us."

The blonde looked up at him and scoffed. "You guys are sick fucks."

The guy just kept on talking ignoring her comment. "You know… bears… when they start to starve, they eat their young. If the bear dies, the cub dies anyway. If the bear lives, it can always have another cub. That was part of the pitch. You know, Greg came this close…" he raised his hand up with two fingers spaced apart, "to nabbing that grey-haired queen bitch who killed my mom." He leaned forward running a piece of blonde hair through his hand.

Ryder flinched at his touch trying to pull away from him. These people made her skin crawl. She didn't like walkers, but at least they didn't have any more function in their brain. They only had their base instinct which was to eat. These people didn't have that problem. Their brains were functioning correctly they were just sick in a different way. She hated people for this reason along with other but mainly because more people who survived in this world were fucked in the head.

"He couldn't catch her, but I was able to catch you. You took out just as many people as she did." The grip on her hair tightened. "I like women better. Most of us do. My brother Alex – also dead because of you and your friends – had a theory that it was because of the extra layer of fat that women have, you know, for childbearing." Ryder tried pulling away from him as her skin crawled when she felt a couple of his fingers running over the skin on her shoulder. "Even the skinny ones have it." He looked more pointedly at Ryder. "You have more meat than most women do nowadays. I like that, and when I saw you walk into the woods by yourself, I couldn't help but grab you. As soon as we brought you two back the group wanted to rip into you, and I would have been more than happy to, but you were also going around with that bitch ruining Terminus for us."

Ryder was going to retort, but she heard someone groaning next to her. She looked over and saw Bob leaning against a post. He was out of it because of his head wound. It took her a minute, but she held back a gasp when she noticed that one of his legs were missing. She looked back up watching the group eating meat, and that's when she saw Bob's leg laying over the fire. Ryder leaned her head back on whatever she was held up against with her eyes closed. She was breathing heavy trying to keep herself from puking. The sight of them chewing and gnawing on her friend's leg was disgusting and seared into her brain.

The man who captured them stood up and walked over kneeling in front of Bob. He was talking to him, and Ryder could hear Bob sobbing, but she didn't want to listen. She wanted to open her eyes and be with everyone in her group. She didn't want to be tied up waiting to be eaten by cannibals when there were way better and less pathetic ways of dying in the world they lived in now. The blonde lifted head back looking at the two men in front of her confused when she noticed that Bob had started laughing. She looked around the everyone who had started to congregate around the two men. The cannibals around her started making comments about her friend, but she wasn't paying attention. She was watching Bob trying to figure out what he was laughing about. The people in front of him had taken his leg, and they were eating it in front of him. To be honest, she didn't think it seemed like a laughing matter.

Finally, Bob started to talk. "You… you idiots."

The guy across from him turned his head looking at the walkers trying to pound their way out of the school that was across from them. "Okay, keep it down."

Bob chose that moment to pull his collar of his shirt to the side and reveal a bite wound on his neck. "I've been bitten, you stupid pricks! I'm tainted meat." Her friend continued to laugh as the group that had gathered around him started freaking out.

All of them were spitting out the meat they were currently chewing. Some even walked away from the group and started puking up everything they had already eaten. Some of the members were hostile, but the others were panicking because they didn't know what was going to happen since they were eating an infected person. Someone had made a comment about just killing Bob instead of whatever their original plan was going to be.

Their leader stopped a man who seemed to be pissed off and suggested killing Bob. "We need him."

One of the women spoke up behind the men. "We can kill him and use the other bitch."

Their leader kept looking at Bob. Ryder took that time to watch him. He looked like he was thinking about something. Their plan had apparently changed with the addition of Bob being infected. "No. We will take him back." He turned to Ryder. "She will come with us."

Ryder met his eyes glaring at him. "I'm not going to become your fucking food source."

Their leader walked over kneeling next to her. His fingers moved over to her face running it along her jaw down to her neck. "You won't have a choice. We are skilled, and we can make you last a while before you die. I may use you for other purposes as well."

Ryder jerked her head away from his fingers. She turned glaring up at him. Before he could react, she spit in his face. "Fuck you!"

The hand caressing her face left and wiped off her spit. He no longer looked amused. She didn't have enough time to react to the fist connecting with her cheek. Ryder shook her head trying to chase away the dizziness the impact caused. She was going to say something, but their leader had already walked away from her. She could feel blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth, but she didn't try doing anything while everyone was walking around.

The group picked up Bob from the ground and forced him to hop towards the direction of the church. She heard one person ask about what to do with her. Gareth told them to leave her. They would come back after killing the rest of the group. They didn't say anything else while they were in ear shot of Ryder who was still tied up.

Ryder listened for the group to get out of distance from her. She didn't have her weapons because she had walked out of the church with only her crossbow and her pocket knife in her boot. She looked around the camp, but she didn't see her bow. She assumed that no one in the group decided to pick up her weapon, but they also didn't bother checking her for more weapons.

She looked around, but the group had taken everything with them. She couldn't see anything that would help her free herself. She scooted away from whatever she was leaning against. Ryder moved to her left folding her right leg underneath her. She moved her body trying to reach her knife in her boot. She could almost reach it but since it was higher up on her leg and underneath her pant leg her hand couldn't reach it. Ryder rotated her wrists in the ropes trying to loosen them, but they were tied too tight for her to do anything.

Instead of reach into her boot, she unfolded her body and laid on her back. She lifted her right leg into the air shaking it trying to get the knife to drop out of her boot. She cursed herself when the damn thing wouldn't fall from it. Finally, with one last kick, the knife dislodged from her boot but slid into her pant leg. Ryder slammed her head against the ground frustrated. As soon as she did the pounding in her head intensified. She squeezed her eyes shut moaning in pain at her stupidity and carelessness.

Ryder gave herself a minute then huffed blowing some hair out of her face that had fallen from her ponytail when she had been rolling around on the ground. The blonde could feel the knife in her pants she just needed to get it out, but the problem was it was down by her knee, and she couldn't get it to fall out at her current position. She brought her knees up to her chest and started rocking forward, but she couldn't get her body weight shifted enough to get to her feet. She glared at nothing at her current predicament. She was a soldier, but she couldn't get a simple pocket knife to cut herself loose. She rolled over onto her stomach with her chin digging into the ground. Before she started doing anything, she looked around making sure the group wasn't close by. She also needed to make sure there weren't any walkers close by that could hear her grunting and struggling. When Ryder deemed it safe she continue to stay on her stomach and pulled her knees into her chest. While she was in the featle position, she made sure her feet were pointed down and started rocking back onto her feet. She finally was able to make it on her feet, but the added weight on her back from her arms made her lose her balance and fall onto her back.

She laid on her back not moving staring up into the sky. She started kicking her feet up and down hitting the ground while she was practically screaming at her frustration of the situation and how stupid she probably looked. Next, she tried moving her arms from behind her back. The blonde almost had her arms free from her back when she heard rustling from the area the group had disappeared from. When the sound caught her attention, she laid completely still watching the area. It didn't sound like there were many of whatever was coming through the woods.

Her heart started pounding as she heard it getting closer to her position. It was still dark out so she couldn't see what it was. Ryder hoped that it was Rick or Daryl coming to find her and rescue her from her current predicament. After a couple more heart-stopping seconds, she noticed something walking over to her from the darkness but she started scrambling around trying to sit back up when she noticed the way it moved. It wasn't sneaking around, but it wasn't moving fast. Nothing would move that slow and clumsy unless it were undead. The walker was coming right for her position, and she was still stuck in the ropes with her arms behind her back. She cursed under her breath because she knew that it was attracted to her tantrum earlier.

The knife was still stuck in her pants, and she couldn't get it out. Ryder started scooting away from the geek shambling toward her. She was frantically looking around trying to find something to use against the walker or something to cut the rope with. She kept scooting back until she felt the heat of the fire. Her head whipped around looking at the fire next to her. She wanted to hit herself for being so stupid. She was bound with rope, and there was a fire right next to her. It was still big from the cooking of Bob's legs. If she weren't in a hurry, then she would be able to do this more carefully, but right now she was hurting for time. She scooted as close to the fire as she could without catching her shirt on fire. The heat was scalding her back, but she didn't care. Ryder held her arms back to the edge of the fire trying to catch the rope. She kept watching the walker that was getting closer by the second. She winced and scrunched her face in pain as the flames licked around her wrists and hands. Ryder pulled her arms apart in the fire trying to get the ropes to burn and free her wrists.

The walker was getting closer than she was comfortable with which started to cause her more panic. She needed to pull her hands out of the fire but just as she was going to take them out and move out of the way she felt the rope give way, and her arms came apart. As soon as her arms were release the walker stumbled over with its arms out. Ryder rolled out of the way of the corpse in time for it to fall in the fire catching the clothes and part of its skin on fire. She grabbed the knife from her pants and stabbed the walker in the head killing it, leaving it to burn.

Ryder was breathing heavy as she looked down at her hands. She could only see a little of the damage since she only had the fire as light but she could tell that she had third-degree burns on her hands and it was worse up to her wrists where the rope was. Her back was also burning, but it didn't hurt as much as her hands did.

She looked around the camp and listened making sure that there weren't any more walkers coming out of the woods. When she deemed she was alone she grabbed the pocket knife that had fallen out of her pant leg when she stood up. Ryder started making her way to where she saw the group leave. She didn't know how far away from the church she was, but since they had walked to it, they couldn't have been that far away.

After about 10 minutes of walking and the sun starting to rise she was able to find the church. She came across her crossbow where Gareth had grabbed her earlier in the night. Ryder couldn't see anyone moving around in there, and she was hoping that she wouldn't come across all of the members of her group walking around as walkers. She walked up to the doors and took a breath steeling herself. She readied her bow and pushed through the doors. She kept her bow up looking around. She could see there were dead bodies littering the floor and she could also tell that she recognized them as the cannibals.

There was a sound farther into the church, and when she looked up, she was met with Rick's python pointed at her. As soon as she recognized him, she dropped her bow and let out a sigh of relief.

Rick didn't take any time when he noticed it was Ryder who had walked through the doors. He walked over to her wrapping her in a one-armed hug since he was still holding Judith. "What happened? We couldn't find you or Bob and then they came and tried to kill all of us. They had brought Bob with them, but we still couldn't find you."

Ryder walked into the Church more with Rick walking next to her. "I was outside and ambushed by that sick fuck and his group. We were out by the school. They left to go kill you guys, and when they were done, they were going to come back and take me with them. They brought Bob back because…" Ryder trailed off. She looked over and noticed Rick's dark expression. He looked up and motioned to one of the back rooms.

The blonde nodded in understanding making her way to the room. She slowly opened the door and grabbed everyone's attention. She was met with multiple hugs and sad smiles. She looked over and saw that Sasha was kneeling next to Bob holding his hand. He was sweating, and he didn't look good. It had been a while when he was bitten, so it wasn't surprising that he was nearing his last couple minutes with everyone.

Ryder started to walk over to Bob and Sasha. She looked over to the woman silently asking if she could say goodbye to him. She assumed that everyone else already had said their goodbyes. Sasha just nodded once letting go of his hand.

The blonde knelt next to Bob. She heard everyone shuffling behind her. After a couple seconds, she heard the door close gently. Ryder took Bob's hand in her own laying it against her forehead. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. If I would have been paying attention earlier then we wouldn't have been jumped, and you wouldn't have lost your leg to…" It was hard to talk. Yet another reason why she wasn't good in groups. It was inevitable losing people, and it was always hard because they were just reminders of her failures.

Bob squeezed her hand as much as he could, but it was weak since his body was shutting down. "Hey… don't blame… yourself." He started having a coughing fit. There was blood on the corner of his mouth and Ryder could only watch as he composed himself again. "I was bitten when you weren't around… I was already dead. I'm… happy I was there… so…" Bob's breathing was becoming more labored and was much harder to talk. Ryder tried to tell him to stop and save his breath, but he continued to talk anyway. "I'm happy that they didn't… do anything to you… since I was there."

Ryder watched her friend. She could hear him wheezing. She squeezed his hand whispering another sorry. She stood up leaving the room joining back with the group. Sasha and Tyreese put their hands on her shoulder as they walked past her going back into the room closing the door behind them.

Ryder couldn't do anything. She had always been told that she was too empathetic. She always felt what everyone was feeling. It always weighed on her. It was one of the reasons why she always tried to be the hero. She hated feeling the weight in her chest. If she could save everyone, then they wouldn't have to worry about losing people and feeling broken. She was pulled out of her trance when she felt Maggie lay her hand on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, but she followed the brunette over to one of the pews.

Maggie made Ryder sit down with her hands on her legs. Ryder could now see her hands and her arms. The skin was black from being burnt in the fire and red from dried blood. Her hands were raw, but she couldn't feel the pain. Her whole body was numb to anything. She didn't say anything when Maggie came back over and sat next to her with bandages and some type of ointment. The brunette wrapped her wrists and hands making sure that all her burnt skin was underneath the bandages. Ryder wanted to protest and tell her to save it for when someone needs the supplies, but she held her tongue. She was currently in need and burns can get infected easily, so she needed the attention.

Maggie patted her knee when she was done standing up walking over to Glen. Ryder looked around and noticed people talking with each other and putting stuff away. That's when something occurred to her. "Where's Daryl and Carol?" She looked over to Rick waiting for him to explain.

Rick turned from whatever he was doing with Judith looking over at her. "When we noticed that you and Bob were missing Daryl wanted to go look for you. Carol didn't think he should go out there by himself."

"If they went out close to when I was grabbed they should be back by now. The school wasn't that far away."

Rick didn't bother saying anything and Ryder could tell that he was thinking along the same lines as she was.

"Something could have happened to them. We have to go out and find them."

"No. I can't risk more people getting lost… or worse. Abraham is taking the bus and taking Eugene to D.C. Most of us are going to stay back and wait for them. Here. At the Church." Ryder was about to protest when she noticed Rick's face. It was a hard time for all of them and arguing would just make it worse. She nodded letting Rick know that she understood.

Once Bob took his final breath the group gathered around his grave to say goodbye. Ryder didn't want to be there longer than she needed. She hated funerals, but it seemed like that's the only thing they did now was bury their own. The group was gathering around the church van saying bye to everyone on the mission to take Eugene to D.C., but Ryder didn't join them. She decided to do rounds around the church making sure everything was clear. Since Gareth and his group was taken care of, she didn't have to worry about any more people sneaking up on her. She only needed to keep watch for walkers, but she still didn't let her guard down.

Ryder made it to the side of the church when she heard the buses doors close. Soon after she watched as the short white bus drove away from the church. She hoped everything would work out but the longer that she lived in the world, the more that she lost hope. She wanted to believe that when Eugene made it to D.C., everything would be better but that feeling was hidden by a bigger pit in her stomach. She wasn't one of those people who thought that everything could go back to normal. This was how they lived now, and nothing was bringing back the people they had lost and what the living had lost in themselves to be able to make it in the new world.

Ryder was sitting on the ledge of one of the windows. It was dark again, and everyone was sleeping, but she couldn't sleep. Daryl and Carol were still missing, and it put her on edge. She wanted everyone to be back together, but they weren't, and she couldn't sleep. Michonne was outside keeping watch by the stairs in case there were more survivors from Terminus. She looked away from the window when she saw Gabriel getting up and walking outside. She didn't bother stopping him because she personally didn't care what he did. Ryder looked around at everyone sleeping on the ground. Their group was getting smaller, and there wasn't anything that she could do about it. They had lost so much and so many people in such a short amount of time. Even if she did want to leave she couldn't, there wasn't any possible way she could leave the group that she had started to call her friends. She wanted to find Daryl, Carol, and Beth. She wanted to meet back up with Maggie, Glen, and Tara so that their group could start building another home, a place where they could live peacefully.

The blonde readjusted her spot on the window, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Michonne walking over to the side of the woods she had been watching. Gabriel also came into the church looking frightened. Ryder stood and made her way quickly over to the doors passing by the preacher. She exited the church looking over to where she saw Michonne enter the woods but she couldn't see anything. It was too dark to see into the trees, but she did hear rustling and snapping of branches.

After a few moments, Michonne walked out of the forest followed by two people. Ryder could tell that Daryl was behind her, but Carol wasn't with them. There was a smaller boy limping behind the two. The blonde dropped her bow watching as the three of them walked up to the stairs where she was standing. She wanted to say something to Daryl. She wanted to know what was happening and who this boy was who wasn't with them before but she didn't do any of that. Michonne led Daryl and the boy into the church. She nodded at Ryder, and all three of them walked in closing the door.

Ryder didn't bother to go in there. She sighed sitting on the steps of the church. It was still dark, and they needed someone to watch for anything that was going to come at them. She would have a chance to figure out what was going on in the morning when everyone was awake.

Ryder watched out the windshield of the truck they were in. Daryl was driving, and Rick was in the passenger seat. Daryl had told them earlier what had happened to him and Carol. They had been following a church car after they went looking for her. It led them into town where they spent a while trying to find out where Beth had been taken. Noah, the kid Daryl brought back, had been working at the same hospital Beth was currently at. Daryl also told the group that Carol was at the hospital after the men from the hospital had hit her with their car. Noah explained how the hospital worked and why Beth hadn't been able to leave. He also explained why he was alone without her since they both tried to escape. Now they were in a box truck heading back to the hospital with Noah, Sasha, and Tyreese trying to rescue Beth and Carol.

Ryder leaned up against the wall looking out one of the dusty windows. She watched Noah draw an outline in the dirt that had accumulated. Rick knelt and started going over his plan. His idea was simple enough. They would divide and conquer the people in the hospital. Everyone would split into twos and take out the guards as they found them. Once there were more intruders that inhabitors than they would get Beth and Carol back. The biggest problem that people seemed to be having with the plan was the need to kill the people in the hospital.

Ryder looked up watching the group in front of her. Daryl had told them what happened to Carol. The officers had hit her on purpose to take her to the hospital to work. Ryder squinted to herself. She didn't care if she had to kill the officers. They were despicable if they purposefully hurt people for them to work as slaves. The world was hard enough they didn't need people like this in the world now. She agreed with Rick's plan.

Tyreese's voice broke her out of her thoughts and pulled her back to reality. "All it takes is one of those cops going down the hall at the wrong time. Then it's not quiet. All hands on deck." Tyreese looks away from the diagram on the floor looking at each of the people standing in the circle. "We're talking about a lot of bullets flying around."

Sasha decided to speak up for people who understood Rick's plan. "If that's what it takes."

"It's not. If we get a couple of her cops alive out here, we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody goes home."

Rick stands with his hand on his python. "Yeah, I get it. And it might work. This will work."

Ryder walked forward. "I agree with Rick. It may not be pretty but killing them and showing our power is the best case to show them we aren't fucking around. If we took two of her cops alive and try a trade, there are too many factors that could go wrong."

Ryder heard someone protest to her side. She turned looking to see that it was Daryl. "Nah, that'll work, too." Daryl looked at Noah. "You say this Dawn, she's just trying to keep it together, right?"

Noah shook his head. Everyone could tell that he didn't want to go along with the plan Daryl and Tyreese wanted. "Trying and doing are two different things."

"You take two of her cops away, what choices does she have? Everybody goes home." Daryl points to Tyreese. "Like he says."

Everyone looked at Rick waiting for his decision, but Ryder spoke instead, "What choices does she have? We have six people. If we don't go in there quiet and take down as many as we can before they notice us something is going to go wrong. Noah said that she is trying to have a handle on the cops under her, but apparently, she isn't doing that great of a job. Anyone of them could let loose during the trade and fuck everything up."

Tyreese didn't care for how vocal Ryder was being. "With this plan, we don't have to kill people. They are people just trying to get by in this world just like us. We can't be judge and jury with everyone else. How else are we going to survive this world long enough for it to be fixed?"

"You don't understand…" Ryder cut herself off, turning walking over to the window. "Do whatever you want." She wasn't going to argue. They hadn't been through what she had been before the world fell. They had a different look on the world than she did. That outlook didn't change with dead walking around.

Ryder was crouched with Daryl on the other side of the road across from Rick, Sasha, and Tyreese. She wasn't happy about what they were doing. There were too many things that could go wrong. They were leaving too many things to chance.

The sound of a gunshot pulled her from her thoughts. Rick and she made eye contact both nodding to each other. There was another gunshot closer to their position. The group didn't move. They didn't want to give away their positions. This plan wouldn't work if the cops noticed that Noah had more than just himself. Noah came limping by at a jog past the alley everyone was tucked into. He rounded the corner but soon after a car came speeding through to grab Noah. They were going too fast to notice anything else.

Everyone stayed in their positions even when they heard the car squeal to a halt and a thud of someone hitting metal. Car doors popped open, and they could hear a woman talking. "Put it down, Noah."

A male's voice followed the woman's. "Put the gun down." Ryder heard them cock their guns while they were talking to Noah.

The woman addressed Noah again. "Hands up. Turn around."

There was a pause when the group couldn't hear anything happening. Either no one was talking, or they were talking too quietly to hear. Ryder looked up at Rick who had stood with his back to the wall. He was watching what was happening. He could see everything from his vantage point, unlike Daryl and Ryder. They had to go on what they could hear.

Ryder heard the woman start talking again. "I thought you were smart, Noah. You think we wouldn't hear you?"

There was another pause. The man sounded confused. "Where are those rotters you were shooting at?" Rick motioned for the group to follow them. Ryder didn't have a problem with that. She was getting antsy sitting doing nothing. She walked half a step behind Rick with her assault rifle pulled up pointing it at the woman while Rick stopped the man.

Rick whistled to get their attention. "Hands."

Both the cops whipped around pointing their guns at the group. The woman spoke up again, "What do you want?"

Before Rick could answer the man tried to reason with them. "Whatever this is, we can help."

Rick didn't answer them. "You do what we say, we don't hurt you."

Ryder watched the man to her right. She saw his eyes moving over the party members along with their guns. She knew that he could see they were outnumbered and resisting would be stupid and futile. "Okay." The woman seemed to look confused for a moment but let go of her gun also following the lead of her partner.

Rick took a step closer. "Good. Now turn around. Put your guns on the floor and kneel."

They did what he said. Daryl and Sasha took zip ties and started tying the two officers. Tyreese undid the ties that had Noah bound. Ryder didn't drop her gun, but her shoulders relaxed a bit. She started to walk around the area to see if there had been any walkers brought to their commotion. They had tried to take out as many as they could in the area. They could never be too careful especially with the gunshots. They had lucked out though. The gunshots would have echoed through the buildings, and it would confuse the walkers.

Ryder could hear the man talking to Rick about something. She thought she could hear him talking about being a cop. Ryder had learned that Rick had been a sheriff before everything had happened.

Before Rick could respond, the sound of tires squealing again caught everyone's attention. Everyone looked down the alley to see a car barreling toward the group. With that, all hell broke loose and everyone started firing at the car. They couldn't get any good hits on it while it was coming at them. They had to take cover, and that gave them officers enough time to hop in the back of the car and take off from their group.

Ryder scoffed to herself rolling her eyes. She started running after where the car disappeared. She could see that Sasha was able to shoot out one of the rear tires. This was why they didn't rely on chance for their plans. Nothing ever worked in their favor.

The group came around the corner to see the car parked and the doors open. There were burnt walker bodies everywhere. About half of them were dead, but the other half were still alive. They couldn't walk but they were trying their hardest to grab at anything they could eat.

All of them cautiously walked a head with their guns up watching out for any sign of the other people out there with them. After a could more steps, there were sounds behind one of the burnt campers. The two cops that they had zip tied ran out from them and disappeared behind a building close by.

Rick noticed and took off after them. "Two, on me."

Sasha, Noah, and Tyreese took off after Rick. Ryder was running next to Daryl, but she slowed down with him. They had noticed the same thing. There was still one more person they were missing. The other officer wasn't bound so he could be anywhere.

Daryl went to the abandoned car looking through it. Ryder moved closer to the campers to see if he was hiding where his friends were. She went over and stood next to the camper door. She readied her gun and quickly opened the door. She waited for a second to see if something would jump out but nothing did.

She turned but was pushed back against the camper when the man from earlier tackled her into the camper. Her back smacked against it and before she could recover his fist connected with her jaw. Everything went dizzy, but she fought through it. Ryder swung her upper body connecting her elbow with the man's cheek.

He stumbled back but before he could retaliate Daryl ran over tackling him to the ground. Ryder took a moment to shake her head. It had already been sore from her run in with Gareth. The extra blow didn't help the situation.

She blinked a couple more times. She could hear struggling, and it sounded like gasping. She looked over and saw that the man was on Daryl choking him. Daryl couldn't reach his gun. The only thing around him were the walkers.

Ryder walked over and shot the walker with her silenced pistol she had grabbed from the stack they had found earlier at the church. She needed something quiet, and her desert eagle wasn't. The two men on the ground stopped struggling when they heard the shot.

The man on Daryl jumped off him and knelt with his hands at his sides. "Okay. You win, bitch."

Ryder didn't say anything. She held her gun at his head. She wanted to kill this piece of shit in front of her. They were the cause of the problem right now. She wanted to solve the problem instead of taking them hostage. She squinted her eyes gripping her gun tighter.

The other man stood up slowly trying not to provoke Ryder to shoot. "Ryder." The blonde didn't bother looking over. She kept watching the man in front of her. Her finger started to pull the trigger not wanting to hear him breathing any longer. "Ryder!" Her hand was steady. With her time as a ranger, she couldn't be shaky. She couldn't second guess herself. People needed to die. Her hand was about ready to pull the trigger when Daryl finally pulled her from her trance. "Ryder! Three is better than two." Daryl walked in her line of sight next to the man.

Ryder watched Daryl but didn't drop her gun. She could see Daryl watching her hand seeing if she would pull the trigger. Her whole body was vibrating with adrenaline. Her brain, heart, and gut were telling her it was the right thing to do, but instead of listening, she pulled back the hammer of the gun dropping it to her side watching Daryl. He started to tie the man up, but Ryder couldn't help the feeling that she had made a mistake as she watched the dark-haired man.

 **(A/N):** Well, that's it for chapter 10 guys. Let me know what you all think! Again, I'm sorry it's taken so long. When summer is over there will be more regular updates. I'm going to try to get myself on a schedule.

Don't forget to favorite and review! It's always appreciated and wanted.


	11. Chapter 11 - Reunion

**(A/N):** Here is another chapter. It isn't as far off as the last one. I still don't have a schedule because my life is chaotic. I just am happy to be hearing from you guys that you like the story!

 **Chapter 11:** Reunion

Daryl walked in with the group behind him. Rick and Noah were kneeling over the diagram that the young boy had drawn earlier. Two of the cops they had grabbed wanted to help with their current plan. One of the cops, the one Noah had vowed for agreed with their plan but they would need his help.

Daryl looked over to the two men. "Hey. Rick. You're gonna want to hear this."

Rick and the boy walked over to the group and started to talk about the plan. Daryl took the time to watch the blonde who hadn't talked since they captured the cops. She was currently listening to the plan the other cop had, but she didn't make any interjections. He couldn't tell who that woman was back when she was holding her gun to that cop. That woman was different from the one that he had gotten to know. The Ryder he knew was calm and calculated and strong, but there was a warmth to her. She didn't like to be touched by people, but as long as someone didn't move into her space, she was fine. She was approachable. Everyone at the prison had a different view of her, but if someone could look past her walls she had up, she wasn't what everyone thought.

The blonde that he saw with the gun in hand staring down that cop wasn't the same person. She was terrifying, to say the least. Daryl had looked into her eyes, and he couldn't see any emotion. He could tell that she was calculating if she should kill him or not but she didn't feel anything. He remembered he had been around her one other time when she was like that. It was at the prison when the Governor attacked. He had thought that it was just because she had hated the man but looking back now it was like she flipped a switch and turned into a machine.

Ryder looked back from following the group. She noticed that Daryl hadn't been paying attention when the cop was talking about his plan. She whistled successfully gaining his attention. He only nodded once and walked past her. Ryder scowled to herself. It seemed like he was colder to her more than he already was, if that was even possible. She knew the exact reason why too. It was a reason she didn't like meeting new people even when the world wasn't as it is now. Part of herself scared people and to be honest… It scared her too.

Ryder watched as Sargent Lamson and Rick talked about the plan and how everything was going to work. They were away from the other two cops. Sasha and Tyreese were carrying stuff in from the trunk of the car that one of the other cops had shown up in. She could see Daryl standing a few feet away watching the other cops but still close enough to be in earshot in case Rick or someone else from the group needed help. Rick walked away after Sasha perked up hearing that Lamson's name was also Bob.

Ryder walked over to one of the windows looking through it. She was watching to make sure that they didn't accumulate more walkers than they could handle. Luckily, the dead ones melted into the ground seemed to be keeping other groups from staying in the area. She also wanted to make sure that more people from the hospital didn't come looking for their three missing cops. She held back a scoff. This plan was going to fail at some point. These people were too cooperative for her liking. She didn't trust them at all. She was all for Rick's original plan to infiltrate the hospital quick and quiet for the least number of casualties on their side as possible.

The blonde was about ready to move to a different window when she heard Lamson comment from behind her. "Are you a cop too? Like your leader?"

Ryder didn't bother turning around. She didn't want to talk about herself ever, even more so with one of their prisoners that she didn't trust.

"Military?"

Ryder turned watching the other man. He was still bound leaning against a pillar. Everyone else was walking around getting stuff ready for their exchange. She walked over kicking a crate in front of Lamson. She sat down with her rifle she had been carrying. Her bow was still with her, but a rifle worked best for a trade. Didn't have to worry about reloading every shot.

The blonde leaned down more level with him. "Talkative, aren't you?"

"I can just tell by the way that you carry yourself that you aren't a normal civilian like most of the people in your group."

Ryder didn't bother saying anything else. She just watched him trying to figure out what he was doing.

"Having a military background, you know what it's like seeing friends die. One of the rotters melted to the ground. I knew him."

Before he could finish Ryder stood turning around.

"You wouldn't leave one of your comrades to suffer like that, would you? Have them suffering while you just sat there and watched not doing anything."

Something in Ryder broke. A flash of Matt's face found its way back into her mind. She turned facing the cop, seething. "Shut up. Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

Ryder's yelling grabbed everyone's attention. Daryl and Rick jogged over to where they heard her.

The blonde's hands tightened around the rifle. She pulled it up ready to strike at the cop, but before she could hit him with the gun, Daryl and Rick grabbed both her arms pulling her away from him. She felt people touching her and ripped her arms from their grasp. She didn't know who had her, all she knew is that she wanted them to stop touching her. She pushed at the person who was closest to her. "Leave me the fuck alone!"

Daryl stepped back with his hands up watching the woman in front of him. He was stunned and confused. He didn't know what had gotten into her. Ryder turned and left out of the room and down the hall. Daryl didn't know what was happening to her. She seemed to be deteriorating. She had that panic attack and the couple times where she changed. One of those times she wasn't anything like how they knew her. Now she's breaking down in front of the group. Daryl started chewing his lower lip glancing at Rick out of the corner of his eye. Rick looked confused and worried about her too. The hunter shook his head walking past the cop. Sasha had brought him some water to help calm him down after Ryder almost beat his head in. They needed to figure something out after they got Beth and Carol back.

Ryder found a room away from everyone where she could be alone. Her breathing was ragged, her head hurt, and her chest was tight. The room had an old counter used for something covered in layers of dust. She dropped the gun to the ground grabbing onto the counter. With every ragged breath out, she disturbed the dust around her. Another flash of Matt's face flashed in her mind. She shook her head trying to get the images out. There was another flash, and instead of her comrade, it was Daryl. It was him in her dream blaming her for something. She screamed and started punching the counter she was leaning on. She needed to get the images from her mind. She needed something to think about other than the people she failed or was going to fail. She kept punching until her arms turned to jelly. She dropped to her knees, falling to her back on the ground. The gun she had dropped earlier was next to her head. Ryder's fists were throbbing. She could tell that she probably broke a few knuckles. Her hands were bleeding too. She didn't care as long as her mind was clear. She brought one of her hands up to rub her eyes trying to get the headache to go away that had formed.

While the blonde was laying on the ground in silence, she heard what sounded like glass breaking and then running. She stood up and left the room she was in. She was walking around trying to figure out where she had heard the glass break. The gun was up as she was moving around corners and equipment still around. She jogged back to the room with everyone. They all turned looking back at her, but she didn't see Rick, the cop, and Sasha had a bruise forming on her forehead. "What's going on?"

"Lamson decided to make a break for it." Sasha looked up from the ground. "Pushed me into a glass window, knocked me unconscious and took off."

"Where's Rick?"

Daryl spoke up from his corner. "Went after him after we found Sasha."

"No one went with him? Are you serious?" Ryder was making her way over to the door but when no one from the group said anything she took off out the door heading outside. She ran down a few halls and some flights of stairs busting through the door leading out into an alley. She noticed the cop car was gone so she took off running down the most likely path the two of them would have gone.

Ryder had her gun wrapped around her shoulders with her machete out. She didn't need to be wasting bullets on the walkers roaming around. She ran by chopping and slicing at the walkers dropping them if they got too close. She was still running trying to catch up with Rick in case he needed back up. That was when she heard the shot in the distance. She was getting close so she picked up the pace to the area she heard the shot from. That was when she saw Rick in the police car driving back the way she had just come from. She didn't see the prisoner they had though which meant he was dead. Rick stopped the car, and she hopped in the passenger side not saying anything. She didn't need to because she knew what had happened. She didn't know exactly how but she knew the cop was dead and that's all she needed to know.

Rick walked into the room followed by Ryder. She couldn't believe how stupid everyone was being about this. First, they were too scared to kill people to get their own back. Then, Sasha let herself get knocked out and now one of the prisoners they were going to use was laying outside dead probably being eaten by rotters.

Rick walked ahead not saying anything but Ryder could see the looks on everyone's faces and she could tell they knew that the other cop wasn't coming back. They knew that something happened and he was now dead and their plan had just changed.

Ryder followed Rick over to the side where Daryl was coming over to meet Rick. Rick stopped and looked at Daryl. "He wouldn't stop. I tried giving him a chance to stop but he wouldn't."

Daryl grabbed onto the strap of the gun around his shoulder. Ryder noticed that she was doing the same thing because that's what she had always done. She took her hands from the strap and put them in her back pockets. "This change things?"

Rick looked over at the other cops still sitting tied up. "It has to."

"Maybe not."

Ryder looked over at Daryl incredulously. "What are you talking about maybe not? We should go back to Rick's original plan. Put a bullet in the head of each cop and then sneak in and put the rest down in the hospital. It's a safer plan for our group. They would already be down three cops."

Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're serious? What has gotten into you? All you think about is killing now. There's other ways of doin' things."

Ryder bristled at his words. Her voice started to gain an octave. "You don't get it. These people will not hesitate to kill us. We shouldn't be hesitating to kill them. You're being naïve."

The hunter reacted the same way that Ryder did. His voice started to rise higher than hers. "Me naïve? I'm not the one who's thirsty for blood around here."

"You don't understand where I'm coming from! I'm trying to keep our group safe and you peacemakers aren't helping! I feel it in my gut that something is going to go wrong with this mission!"

Daryl had had enough. He started yelling at Ryder with no regard for trying to be quite like they thought they had been. "You fuckin' serious? Keep us safe? Like you kept your men safe? Who was your buddy? Matt. Like you kept him safe! Maybe your plans aren't the greatest considering he's not here." Daryl was huffing from the anger and yelling but then he stopped and froze. He just realized what he had said to her. She had trusted him with her secrets and her past and he just threw it in her face. He was trying to make her see that she was acting different and being bloodthirsty wasn't the best option. He looked over and the woman across from him and her face was blank. She wasn't showing any of her emotions. He wanted her to cry, yell, scream or hell even punch him in the face. She wasn't doing any of that.

Ryder had been pissed off that Daryl wasn't seeing where she was coming from. She never thought he would do what he just did no matter how pissed off he got. Sure, she was scaring him and she could tell. She had shit that she needed to work through. She didn't know that he thought that low of her. That's what he thought of her? She thought that he was the one she could relate to the most. She looked over at the other man and she could tell that he knew what he had just done. She could see that he wanted to say he was sorry or do anything to try to take back what he had just said but it was too late. "You're right. I shouldn't be the one making decisions. Let me know when you have it figured out."

Daryl could just watch her. Her face was completely devoid of emotion. He was lost. He didn't know what to do. He knew as soon as he registered those words he regretted saying them immediately. She turned and walked away from the two men standing there. She disappeared into the area she went when she had her outburst.

Rick just stood in silence looking between the two. "What was that about?"

Daryl wanted to tell him but he had done enough damage to her trust already. He didn't want to tell Rick a story that wasn't his to tell. "Nothin' I can handle it. What's our plan?"

Ryder walked over to the other side of the building she was in. She found a dirty wall and leaned her back against it sliding down the wall. She felt empty. The night that she had told him what happened when she was captured he didn't show any pity. It took him a minute to process but she didn't see anything bad. She didn't think he also blamed her for her best friends' death. She already did that every second she was awake. She reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out an old worn out folded piece of paper. She just looked at the picture that was printed on it that had been taken years ago. There were three fresh-faced recruits just about ready to join the army. Matt was on the left, Ryder was in the middle and Justin was on the right. Both men were in the process of giving her a noogie right as the picture was taken. They had been her absolute best friends. She served with them and then they went into the Ranger's together. They were the best of friends. Matt died that day in front of her but she never knew what happened to Justin. He took Matt's death hard and there was also a good chance that he blamed her for his friend's death.

Ryder gently folder the picture back up and placed it back in her pocket. She looked down at her right arm on her wrist. There were Matt's dog tags tattooed on her arm. She would never allow herself to forget what she had done to him. She blamed herself and apparently, Daryl even blamed her. She couldn't blame him. Who wouldn't blame her after hearing the story? Ryder leaned her head on the wall behind her. She closed her eyes and all she could see what Matt's face. She could see those emerald green eyes staring at her unwavering. He knew he was going to die and he didn't flinch or plead for his life. He went out a true Ranger, unlike her. Instead of opening her eyes she made herself keep them closed making the image of his eyes stay in the darkness.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting against the wall but she didn't care. Ryder figured that when they were ready they would come find her. She was sure they didn't want her around them anymore, Daryl especially but they needed her for the mission. They couldn't afford to be a man down. She heard the scuffing of boots on the ground. That's when Daryl's voice broke the silence. "We're ready." She stood up grabbing her gun walking past the other man. She wasn't mad at him she just couldn't see the blame that he felt in his eyes. Anyone else but she had mistakenly gotten too close to Daryl and she couldn't see it from him.

Daryl sighed as Ryder pushed past him. Even letting her be alone while they figured everything out she hadn't changed. She still walked around emotionless. He didn't know if she was mad and him or if she was sad. She didn't look like she had been crying but for Ryder, that wasn't that much of a surprise. If she did cry she wouldn't show that in front of one of her group members. He needed to find a way to fix this but he just didn't know how yet. It would have to wait until after the mission though.

The group walked out onto a parking garage overlooking another parking lot. Rick was going to go down and meet with the two officers in order to make the exchange. Sasha and Daryl were going to keep cover with the rifles in case Rick needed back up. Ryder was standing by the two officers with Noah and Tyreese but she moved up to stand next to Daryl. She made a point to stand a few feet away from him though. She had her rifle wrapped around her shoulder and she was leaning on the edge of the parking garage. She didn't know what everyone else thought about her so if she was going to stay with them she needed to make her self as safe as possible. So, she didn't have a gun at the ready because she trusted everyone else. She could see Daryl watching her off to the side. She inwardly sighed. He didn't trust her either. That was obvious. He was probably watching to make sure that she wasn't going to do something stupid to get them all killed. She heard Daryl snap as the police car came around to park in the parking area. Tyreese then messaged Rick on the radio letting him know that the other cops had shown up.

Ryder watched as the police car pulled up. Rick walked forward with his hands up. Obviously, he still had weapons but he didn't draw on them as a sign of good faith. The cops stopped the car and got out with their guns drawn. Everyone on top of the parking garage was too far away from the meet point to hear what they were saying. Rick pulled his python from its holder and laid it on the ground. He then turned in a circle showing the cops that he didn't have any other weapons on him other than the machete at his thigh. They two cops closed their doors and moved toward Rick cautiously. She could tell that they were talking and Rick was letting them know about the deal he wanted to strike with them. As they were talking the cops started to lower their guns but a walker entered the area with the meeting. Before anything could happen, Sasha was able to take out the walker and put her reticle back on one of the cops. The other cops were looking around trying to see where they were sitting with their rifles but they never found them. The two cops radioed the lieutenant and they were able to get into the building.

While they were in the cars going to the hospital Daryl watched Ryder. Since she had told him he was right she hadn't said a word to anybody. She had stayed stone-faced through everything. He could tell that he had hurt her pretty bad. They just needed to get through with saving Beth and Carol and then he could talk to her. He felt a strong urge that he needed to fix this. Ryder had been there for their group so many times and he had blamed her. Then, he treated her like shit. Because of the way she blamed herself for what happened instead of saying something back like she usually would have she shut down because in her heart she truly believed it was her fault. Daryl shook his head bringing himself from his thoughts. He didn't think it was her fault. Not in the least and she needed to know that. He wanted her to stay with their group for some reason and he felt like if he kept it the way it was right now. She was going to leave because she didn't think anyone trusted her.

The two officers from the meet walked into the hospital leading the group with their prisoners. Their guns were drawn ready for an attack. Rick had one of the cops while Daryl walked with the other. Ryder was hanging back ready for if someone decided to come up behind them and try to ambush them. They moved through different hallways and up flights of stairs. It had been a while since Ryder had been in a hospital. She forgot how much of a maze it could be. Finally, they made it to a set of double doors and waiting on the other side were the other officers and behind them, Beth was pushing a wheelchair with Carol in it. Before they opened the doors, everyone holstered their weapons. The two officers walked ahead to join with their group on the other end of the hallway.

Rick spoke first. "They haven't been harmed."

A woman standing on the other side of the hall spoke for the group. Ryder assumed that she was the leader and her name was Dawn. "Where's Lamson?"

Before Rick could speak the female officer standing in front of Rick spoke telling Dawn that rotters had gotten to him. Then the other officer backed her up by saying that they had seen everything happen.

Apparently, Dawn had been fond of that guy because her voice was strained. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys." She took a moment then continued. "One of yours for one of mine."

Rick nodded and motioned for Daryl to take the officer he was holding over to the group. An officer on her side grabbed a bag and wheeled Carol over to them making the handoff. So far everything was going smoothly for them. Ryder looked around she had a feeling that was going to change.

Dawn herself decided to bring Beth with her to the middle of the hall and so did Rick with the other female officer. Rick grabbed her making sure she was ok and everyone started to turn around. The exchange had been made.

Dawn stood there as everyone was turning away. "Now I just need Noah," Everyone stopped in their tracks. "and then you can leave."

Rick walked back over to Dawn. He was starting to get agitated with the other woman. "That wasn't part of the deal."

"Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back." The female officer that was just exchanged tried to keep Dawn from getting greedy but Dawn shut her down before she could say anything further. "My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died."

Ryder watched Daryl push, Noah back into their group. "No, he ain't stayin'."

"He's one of mine. You have no claim on him."

Now Rick and Daryl were both standing trying to defend Noah. "The boy wants to go home so you have no claim on him."

"Well, then we don't have a deal."

Before Rick could say anything to Dawn Ryder walked forward with hands up and a rifle in one. She walked up to the group handed Rick the assault rifle and walked a few more steps forward. "Take me instead of the boy. He just wants to go home and try to find his family."

Daryl watched Ryder walk up to them. "What are you doing! You can't go with them."

Ryder ignored Daryl and kept watching Dawn. "Noah is weak. He's just a boy. I have army training better than any of your officers. If you let him go I'll work for you and only you Dawn. I will enforce anything that you want me to just please let him leave with the group."

Noah tried coming ahead. "It's ok. Ryder, you don't have to take my place. I've got to do it."

Dawn held up her hand signally Noah to stop walking. Dawn was watching Ryder and Ryder was watching her. She was true to her word. If Dawn let her trade places with Noah then she would do whatever the woman wanted. "Army?"

Ryder nodded her head once. "I was in the Army Rangers. I was special forces. I will be your right hand or your executioner. Whatever you need. Just don't take this boy away from trying to find his family."

Daryl stepped forward again. "This isn't ok. You can't leave. She can deal with the original exchange plan. This is bullshit."

Ryder still didn't acknowledge the hunter behind her. Dawn nodded her head. "It's settled."

The blonde hated having to do this. She didn't want to be under anyone's control again but if this is the price she had to pay then she would. Noah deserved to live his life as best as he could and have the ability to find his family. Ryder nodded to Dawn and started walking to the other side of the hallway.

"Wait!" The blonde stopped and in the process of turning around, she was met with a head full of blonde hair. Ryder felt the weight of Beth squeezing her giving her a hug. "Thank you for everything you have done and coming here to save me. I can't thank you enough."

Ryder hugged the girl back gently considering she was still beaten up. "It's ok." She leaned down and whispered in Beth's ear so Beth was the only one that could hear her. "Keep Daryl safe for me. If I can I'll try to come back to you guys."

Both Ryder and Beth heard Dawn whisper to Beth mainly. "It's not Noah but I still get my way and I come out on top like I always do."

Beth released the hold on Ryder staring at Dawn. She walked over to the older woman. "I get it now." Before anyone could respond Beth attacked Dawn with a pair of scissors and in the same second Dawn pulled her gun and shot Beth.

Everyone was in stunned silence about what just happened. Ryder pulled her gun that she had been carrying on her hip and without missing a beat shot Dawn in the back of the head. She had just started pleading and Daryl was in the process of pulling his gun but Ryder had beat him to it.

As soon as Dawn hit the floor everyone's guns from their end of the hallway were on her and her group had their guns on everyone down the hall. Ryder just stood there looking at Beth laying on the ground. Her blonde hair was now covered in red. She heard everyone shouting "hold your fire." She couldn't tell if it was coming from her group or the other group. But then the other female officer's voice broke through everything. "No! Hold your fire! It's over. It was just about her. Stand down." Finally, at her last command, she was able to get her group to drop their guns.

Ryder looked over and she could see Daryl with his gun still drawn and shaking like she had never seen him shaking before. He was watching the other group. He was losing himself. Carol came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder but he didn't drop the weapon. Ryder walked over putting her gun away. She walked in front of Daryl's gun moving toward him. He wasn't watching her. It seemed like he was starring at Beth. Ryder moved up slowly and she put her hand on the muzzle of the gun. Once he felt that she had hold of the gun he dropped it from his hand. He turned looking at the ground crying. Everyone was crying.

Ryder kept watching Daryl. He was pacing in a circle. He didn't know what to do. Hell, she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to comfort someone. She heard Rick talking to the other group but Ryder stayed focused on Daryl. She moved over to him with one of her hands out. "Daryl, look at me." He kept pacing around not looking at her. She moved closer to him and was able to grab his wrist. He pulled away from her. He walked past her picking up Beth's body. The entire group made their way out of the hospital. Ryder had her gun and Daryl's gun in her hand. She was walking ahead of the group.

They walked through the double doors just as she saw a firetruck pull up to the entrance. The rest of the group walked up to everyone. They were looking at Ryder for confirmation. When Ryder just walked ahead behind them they looked to Rick. No one was giving the group what they wanted. Everyone piled out of the entrance and Ryder knew when she heard the gun hit the ground that Daryl had walked out carrying Beth. Maggie was screaming for her sister. Ryder turned watching everyone. She was mainly watching Daryl. He still had the remnants of tears in his eyes. It seemed like he was losing it when he heard Maggie screaming he couldn't hold it anymore.

Ryder sat on the hood of one of the cars. This should have gone down differently. If Beth would have just let her go with the other group she would be walking out of the entrance instead of Daryl carrying her lifeless body. Maggie's screams didn't stop. Ryder couldn't handle it anymore. She got off the car and walked over to the firetruck that the group had driven in on. She needed to get away for a moment. She got behind the truck and she finally flipped the switch off in her brain. She let herself feel the loss. For once in a long time, Ryder cried for Beth. The innocent girl that was too sweet for the world. She cried because another friend died and there wasn't any way to bring her back. She squeezed her eyes shut and she could picture the first time she saw the blonde. She had been standing on the grate of the walkway in the prison. Beth had been holding Judith and bouncing the baby on her hip. What happened shouldn't have happened to Beth. She was too sweet and Ryder couldn't hold back the sadness and tears she felt for the girl.


	12. Chapter 12 - Misunderstandings

**Chapter 12-Misunderstandings**

Ryder sat at the fire on the side of the road. They had been running with no place to go now for a few weeks. The group was steadily making their way to Noah's hometown in Virginia. She sat with her crossbow on her back and with her knees up to her chest. She was hungry, but she wasn't the only one. Her group was running on empty. Daryl and she had been trying to find animals, but they hadn't been having much luck and when they did it wasn't much food. It was enough for them not to starve but no one ever felt like they had a semi-full stomach.

The blonde looked over across from the fire over at Daryl. He hadn't spoken to her since what happened to Beth. He had said maybe a few words to her for weeks. She was confused because he had been quiet, but he still talked to everyone else for the most part. She assumed it had something do with what he said when they were trying to rescue Beth and Carol. She sighed looking back down at the fire. She felt like an outcast in the group. At least when Daryl was talking to her she felt a little more welcome. Everyone talked to her enough, but she didn't get along with everyone especially well. To her, Daryl was the one that understood her. That's what she thought anyway. She had tried to talk to him to figure out what the problem was but he blew her off each time, so she had stopped trying. The idea that she should leave kept creeping back into her mind. This time it wasn't because she thought she was better off though. This time it was because she was at a loss. She didn't know how long she could be around Daryl and have him hate her.

Ryder stood and started making her way into the woods. She couldn't keep sitting here. The dream that she had, when she was shot, kept coming back to her. The feeling of loss kept making its way back into her heart. Obviously, she didn't love Daryl. She hadn't known him long enough, but her heart had had a taste of what it was like and that hurt her. It was bearable when he was talking to her, but she just couldn't now.

She grabbed her machete from her leg and walked with it. To be honest, she didn't know what she was doing. She could try to hunt but it was the middle of the night and not many animals would be out and about. Maybe she wanted to find a herd of walkers. Instead of fighting them she could just walk into them and all her problems would be solved.

She sighed again and found a downed log. She sat down holding the machete between her legs. She missed her brothers-in-arms. Matt and Justin were everything to her. She didn't have any family. She really didn't have any friends either. Once she left for the army she lost touch with everyone. Those guys were what kept her sane. She could feel herself slipping. It was easier to flip her switch in her brain and feel nothing then it was to feel everything. She looked down at her ankle and the moonlight made a piece of metal glimmer. She grabbed the dog tags from her boot and held onto them. She didn't carry them around her neck because she didn't want to lose them. She had wrapped her dog tags around her ankle and hide them in her boots, so she didn't lose one the only things that reminded her of what her life was like with her brothers.

Daryl had finally found the blond. Rick had told him that she had disappeared a while ago and he was starting to worry about her. He didn't want anything to happen to her, so they didn't have to have another funeral. Daryl didn't want to go find her, but he was the best one to track at night. He also didn't miss the advances on Rick's part trying to get them to talk out their problems. He didn't do that shit and he knew that Ryder didn't do that shit. He couldn't help it though. He didn't hate the blonde he just needed his space from her for now. In his heart, he blamed Ryder for Beth's death.

He was quiet except for when he stepped on a branch on purpose signaling that someone was behind her. He was expecting her to turn around at the ready, but she didn't. He knew that she had heard the branch, but she didn't move. What the hell? There could be a walker behind her or something trying to sneak up on her to hurt her. Finally, after too long, she stood up with a loose grasp on her machete. He noticed that her face looked terrible. He wondered if she was sleeping or even eating. He saw surprise flash across her face, but it disappeared and a flash of sadness then nothing. She went back to her passive face that had been her only real emotion since they buried Beth and left the church.

She grabbed her machete and turned around. She was surprised when she was met with steel blue. She didn't bother saying anything. She knew why he was out here. Rick had probably sent him to come find her. Rick had noticed the tension between the two and apparently, he didn't like that there was drama between group members. It seemed like he was trying to get them to figure out what was happening. He made a couple mistakes though. He underestimated how stubborn Daryl was and he also didn't see that Ryder had given up trying to figure out that exact problem herself. Ryder started walking back to the campsite without a word. There wasn't any point.

Daryl watched her pass him. He noticed that she had stopped trying to talk to him. He couldn't bring himself to do it yet. She had told Beth to attack Dawn and it got her killed. When they were standing in the hall of the hospital he didn't want Ryder giving herself up for Noah. She shouldn't have had to do that. Beth wanted to say goodbye to the person who was giving herself up and one of the people saving her. He saw Ryder whisper into her ear but after that Beth went over and tried stabbing Dawn. Ryder had told her to try to kill Dawn and ultimately it killed her. His heart didn't want to trust her or giver her any chance. His brain, on the other hand, knew that it wasn't only her fault. Beth didn't need to do what she did. She could have just left, and they would have come to save Ryder.

Daryl walked behind Ryder watching her back. His brain was telling him to talk to her and straighten everything out, so they could make up. He was still worried about her deteriorating. He had noticed that during her outburst at the abandoned building. He just couldn't yet.

Ryder left the woods walking over to the side of the road closely followed by Daryl. The two missed it but the entire group of adults looked somewhat expectantly at the two. Everyone seemed to have noticed the tension between the two and they didn't know why. Daryl had been giving her the cold shoulder and Ryder wasn't taking it very well.

Ryder went to sit down away from the fire and everyone around it. She sat against the car they had been traveling around in trying to get to Richmond. She should sit by the fire to keep warm, but she didn't care anymore.

Ryder heard someone sit next to her. For half a second, she hoped that it was Daryl, but she squashed that feeling because she knew it wasn't. She looked over at Carl who had decided to join her.

Carl looked over at her, but she didn't move. She kept looking ahead watching the tree line for nothing. She could feel his eyes on her and he wasn't going to stop so she rolled her eyes and kept looking forward. "What do you want kid?"

Carl scoffed at her. "Don't call me a kid."

Ryder smiled somewhat. "Yeah, I guess that title doesn't belong to you anymore. What can I do you for?"

Carl looked down at his hands. He was fidgeting with a branch. It didn't seem like he wanted to ask what he came over here to ask. "A…are you going to leave?"

Ryder finally took the chance to look over at the young man. "Why do you ask?"

"I've heard my dad talking to Carol about it. They think you're going to leave. They were trying to figure out what's wrong and how to keep you from disappearing on us."

The blonde looked back at the woods thinking. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm not going to lie to you. I have thought about it. It's crossed my mind more and more." Carl didn't bother saying anything because he knew that she wasn't done talking. "You guys really don't need me anymore. I was just around helping you."

Carl felt a small surge of panic shoot through him. He didn't want his dad and Carol to be right. "You can't leave. We do need you. The entire group does."

Ryder let a sad smile slip onto her face. "If you haven't noticed not everyone thinks that."

"Daryl is still dealing with Beth's death." He paused missing the other girl. "We all are. He just deals with it a different way."

"Well, it seems like he blames me. Which I guess I can't blame him. Everyone around me has an untimely death."

Carl's face grew angry. "So, what? The world is different. It's not just you that has problems. You aren't the only one who has people die anymore."

Ryder looked over and Carl stunned. He got up from his seat wiping off his butt getting as much dirt off as he could. Before he left he turned back around looking down at Ryder. "Just rethink saying please. My dad was right. You are family to us and sometimes family just needs some space to think. You can't just give up on us." Before she could say anything to him he left and walked back over to the fire to sit next to his dad.

Ryder watched him leave stunned by his words. The kid wasn't shy about telling people how he felt. That was for sure. She leaned her head back against the vehicle closing her eyes. She didn't want to sleep but she didn't have a choice. Her body was getting weak with her missing sleep and food. She couldn't help much with the food part, but she could do something about the sleeping even if she didn't want to.

 _Ryder woke up, but she wasn't outside. She was blindfolded again. She felt the pain that she had felt over and over by being tortured. The blindfold was ripped off of her and instead of seeing Matt across from her it was Daryl again. She felt a weight on her chest. She wanted to cry because she knew what was going to happen. The terrorists were torturing as usual, but it didn't bother her. She felt numb to their pain because she had been through it so much. The time came to when she was going to watch him die._

 _Her head lifted, and she was met with steel blue. His eyes were hard. He didn't care about everything she was going through. "This is all your fault. You deserve this. You deserve to never leave this place."_

 _Ryder couldn't stop herself. Tears finally broke her barrier. She pulled at her restraints yelling at him. "What did I do! What did I do to you? What's my fault? I don't understand. Stop blaming me for something that I didn't do!" when she got done yelling her dream ended the same way that she had always known it to end. Daryl was shot in the head._

 _The blonde didn't wake up like she usually did after her dream. She was back in a dark place and before she could do anything she saw Beth standing there. She was holding Judith and she was happy. It was like the first time that she had seen her standing on the catwalk. Ryder dropped to her knees. Before she could say anything, Matt showed up next to Beth. People kept popping. She knew all these people. Her mom and dad. Everyone that she had killed in battle surrounded her. They were all yelling at her, but she couldn't hear anything they were saying. They were screaming, and she couldn't do anything. She folded in on herself crying and screaming covering her ears. "Stop! Please! I'm sorry! There's nothing I can do for you! I can't do anything! I'm sorry you're all dead. I don't know what to do!"_

Ryder was shaken awake by Carol. Ryder pushed off the vehicle she was still leaning against wild-eyed and scared. She was looking around trying to figure out what was happening. She didn't know where she was. Her eyes finally focused on Carol and she started to control her breathing. Her heart was still pounding through her chest, but she remembered where she was, but she also remembered her dream. All those people had died because it was her fault. That was the dream that had been haunting her since Beth died. She couldn't do anything about it.

Carol walked up slowly to the blonde not wanting to scare her away. She didn't mean to scare her awake, but she sounded like she was having a nightmare. She was screaming for something or someone to stop and shut up. She kept asking why and telling someone that she couldn't help them. Both Carol and Rick had been watching Ryder. She hadn't been doing well since Beth. It seemed like she blamed herself which she shouldn't. Beth made her own decisions and she shouldn't have tried to kill Dawn herself. They only reason why she was able to wake Ryder up was because she was on watch for the group.

Carol kept watching her and finally, she seemed to be calming down. "Come sit down with me."

Ryder hesitated but she could tell that Carol wasn't asking her if she wanted to or not. She was telling her to come and sit down because they were going to talk. Ryder sat next to Carol but didn't say anything.

Carol looked over at the blonde woman. "What's wrong? You haven't been acting like yourself lately. You're making the entire group worry about you."

Ryder scoffed at what she said. She was amused that Carol thought the entire group was worried about her. "Are you sure that the entire group cares?"

Carol watched her face. She was confused by what Ryder was stating. "What are you talking about. Of course, we all care about you."

"There's one person that doesn't seem to care anymore."

Carol's brain finally kicked in remembering that Daryl and her, hadn't been talking. It was more that Daryl hadn't been talking to her. "Daryl."

Ryder didn't say anything. She knew that Carol understood what she was talking about. Before Carol could keep asking questions she stood up and walked over to the front of the van. "You can go to sleep. I can keep watching. Not like I'm going to be able to sleep anymore tonight."

Carol stood and was watching her. If wasn't good for Ryder to be running on no sleep and no food. She wanted to protest but she knew she couldn't. The blonde wouldn't listen. She was on a path to kill herself and the one person that seemed to be the one to help her didn't want anything to do with her. Carol nodded her head and went over to her sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep.

Ryder didn't bother waking anyone up that night. She let them all get their rest, so they weren't running on empty. The dreams were draining her body and her mind.

A few days later the group was piled into two cars. Ryder, Daryl, Maggie, Carol, and Sasha were packed into one of the three cars for their group. Ryder was sitting in a seat by the window behind Daryl. They still hadn't talked, and she was done expecting him to talk to her. They were close to where Noah had said his camp was. While they were driving Rick radioed into Carol. "Hey, Carol."

Carol grabbed the walkie responding back to Rick. "I'm here."

Ryder looked over to Carol who was sitting in the passenger seat. She waited to hear what Rick was going to tell them. "We're halfway there. Just wanted to check the range."

Carol glanced back at Ryder for a split second. "Everybody's holding tight." Ryder rolled her eyes. Ever since Carol woke her up from her dream she had been hovering even more than usual. "We've made it 500 miles. Maybe this can be the easy part."

Rick's voice crackled over the walkie. "Got to think we're due. Give us 20 minutes to check in."

"If we don't hear from you, we'll come looking."

"Copy that."

Carol put the walkie back in her bag. Daryl followed them for a little while longer and then pulled over on the side of the road. The car behind them also pulled over while the car with Rick and the rest of the group kept going ahead. Everyone piled out of the car stretching since they had been driving for what seemed like forever.

Ryder jumped down next to Daryl but didn't even look at him. She had completely given up on him trusting her anymore. He had made it painfully obvious that he was done with her. She turned and went to the back of the van and sat on the road looking into the woods.

Carol looked over at Ryder who wasn't doing anything. She then looked over at Daryl who was watching the blonde. She went over to Daryl and grabbed his attention. She didn't talk too loudly so Ryder didn't hear their conversation. "Come here."

Daryl followed her over to the front of the van out of range of Ryder, so he didn't hear. He didn't know what Carol wanted him for, but he went with her anyway. Daryl grabbed his strap from his crossbow looking at Carol waiting for her to talk.

Carol looked over to make sure Ryder didn't move and wasn't watching them. She turned back to the hunter standing in front of her. "What's going on with you?"

Daryl fidgeted with the strap. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"

The woman squinted at him crossing her arms. "Don't play dumb with me. It's obvious you're avoiding Ryder."

Daryl just shrugged his shoulders.

"What's the problem? Ever since Beth died you have been ignoring her." Daryl still didn't respond to her. Carol sighed. "Have you heard her through the night?" Her comment about Ryder caught Daryl's attention. "She's been having nightmares every night. Daryl, she's a mess. Some nights she calls for you and she doesn't even know it. She screams bloody murder thinking she's dying. I don't know what she dreams about but they seemed to start acting up when you started ignoring her."

Daryl looked down at the ground kicking some dirt still not saying anything.

"I'm not saying that it's your fault she's having problems. It's fine if you don't want to talk to her for whatever reason. Just let her know. She thinks that you blame her for Beth's death and I think that's what is bothering her the most. I can't know for sure because she doesn't talk to anyone."

Daryl looked over at Ryder who hadn't moved from her spot. "'m goin' huntin'. Be back later. Call if you need me." He walked over to the side walking into the woods. He looked back at Ryder. He could see her face now and it was pale. She had huge black bags under her eyes, but she didn't move from looking at the ground. He turned and walked into the woods.

Ryder was sitting on the road still. She had grabbed a sit and was making marks in the dirt. They were just waiting right now, and she didn't feel like doing anything. She noticed that Daryl had gone hunting a while ago. She thought that maybe she should go with him but then decided not to. She knew that she should give up on trying to figure out what was wrong but there was still an inkling of hope that everything would randomly go back to normal.

The blonde sighed bored from drawing in the dirt. She leaned back and laid down on the road with her eyes closed. She wasn't going to sleep but she wasn't staring off into the distance anymore at least.

A few more minutes passed by and the bright sun that was shining in her eyes was blocked by something. She opened one of them and Daryl was standing over her. He had a handful of squirrels on a string that he had gotten. She just closed her eye and went back to doing nothing. She heard him talk to her for the first time in a long time. "Help me clean these?"

Ryder didn't move. He was forcing himself to talk to her. She assumed that Carol had talked to him about making peace. If he still hated her or blamed her for Beth's death, then she didn't want to hear about it from him. She would prefer that he just go back to ignoring him.

Daryl looked down at Ryder. He scowled slightly at her. He wasn't good with this kind of stuff. He agreed with Carol. He needed to talk with her. He had been giving her the silent treatment for too long now. Of course, he didn't know that Ryder had been having so many problems mentally. She hid stuff so well that everyone could see something was wrong, but they had no idea. Daryl sighed. "Ryder. Come with me." He still didn't get a rise out of her. "Please?"

Ryder opened her eyes with his, please. She didn't think she had heard him use, please. Ever. Maybe in her dream but in real life? She couldn't remember. Finally, she sighed and got up from the ground. She grabbed her bow and followed him back into the woods to help him with the cleaning. It was obvious that he wanted to talk to her since he didn't have many squirrels and him needing help cleaning them was bullshit.

Ryder followed Daryl over to an area where he sat down on a long and pulled his knife out. He handed her a few squirrels and she grabbed them and sat across from him to clean them. She was done trying to talk to him.

Daryl stopped his cleaning and looked over to Ryder. She was doing what he asked her to do but she didn't stop. Daryl sighed. "Ryder." She didn't respond to him. "Will ya talk to me?"

Ryder stopped what she was doing and looked over at the hunter. "Why?"

Daryl looked away. He thought he would have to do more convincing. He didn't know how to do this. He wasn't very good at conflict unless it was fighting with someone. He didn't want to fight with Ryder. That wouldn't help their situation.

Ryder watched him, but he didn't say anything. "Why should I say anything? You're the one that pulled me out here. You're the one that's been ignoring me for no goddamn reason."

"Ryder. Calm down."

"Daryl seriously? Me calm down? Try having the only person who you thought you could connect to ignore you. Try having him not explain to you why he was ignoring you. Try talking to him and he blows you off for nothing. Then tell me to calm down."

Daryl watched her blow off steam. He couldn't blame her. He needed his space from her to think but he could have said something to her instead of giving her the silent treatment for so long. "I should 'av said somethin' to you. I'm sorry about that. I needed to ta think."

"Think about what exactly?" Daryl stayed quiet. Ryder's voice rose. "Think about what Daryl?"

"I had to get over the fact that what you said killed Beth." Daryl looked down at the ground. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, but he couldn't back out of it now or run away from her.

Ryder was speechless. She had been thinking that he thought he blamed her for Beth's death, but she didn't know for sure. Him saying that answered her thoughts. He did blame her. She needed to leave. She couldn't do this. She stayed around for hope that it was a different reason but now that she knew he blamed her she couldn't stay around anymore. She couldn't be around him. She stopped what she was doing. She stood up and started walking back where they came from back to the cars. She didn't have much stuff, so she needed to leave with everything she had.

Daryl looked up and noticed she was leaving. He almost didn't get up and go after her, but he had a feeling if he didn't he would never see her again. He didn't want to chance that feeling. He got up and ran after her. When he caught up her he grabbed her hand. He did notice that she didn't flinch away from him when he touched her. "Wait. Where're you goin'?"

Ryder stopped when he grabbed her hand, but she didn't turn around. "I'm leaving."

"Leavin' where?" He needed to ask her.

"Wherever I want. You don't care where I go. Right? Why would you? Just let me go so I can leave."

"No."

Ryder balled her fists up. "Daryl. Let me go."

"Not goin' to happen."

"Why do you care!" She finally lost it. She ripped her hand from his grasp turning around. "You made it painfully obvious that you think I killed Beth. I can't keep being with this group and having you hate me for killing her. Just let me leave and you will never see me again."

Somewhere deep down in Daryl started to panic when she said he would never see her again. "All I said was I needed time to think. I don' think you purposefully said those things to kill Beth." He was going to continue when he noticed Ryder looking at him weirdly. "What?"

Ryder just now noticed that Daryl kept commenting about her saying something to Beth that got her killed. She had barely said anything to Beth before she decided to do what she did. "How did I kill Beth?"

Daryl rubbed his face. "I don' know. You tell me. You're the one that said somethin' to her."

Ryder stared at him and finally, she understood what was happening. A wave of anger washed over her. "You mean when I bent down to talk to her right before she killed Dawn?"

Daryl squinted his eyes watching her. He didn't miss her change in mood. "Yea."

Ryder exploded. She pushed the hunter away from her. She charged him about ready to deck him in the face but before she could Daryl blocked her punch. "Ryder! What're you doin' god dammit." She charged him again. He was ready to block another punch, but he wasn't expecting her to talk him to the ground. He hit the ground had with Ruder on top of him. Before he could catch his breath, Ryders fist met the corner of his mouth. "Ryder! God dammit. Fuckin' stop." She didn't she was seething too much to stop. He noticed she was going to come at him again for another hit but as she shifted her weight he rolled her over, so he was sitting on her torso and he had her hands pinned to the ground.

Ryder was surprised by his movement. She tried lifting her torso but he was too heavy. She would have been able to get him off easy but she was weak from no sleep and from hardly eating. "Get the fuck off of me!" She screamed.

Daryl just looked down at her. He didn't say anything. She was screaming at him and trying to throw him off. He was lucky she was weak or else this fight would have turned out much differently. He waited patiently for her to stop.

Ryder thrashed around more. She was pissed off and annoyed that she couldn't throw him off her. Finally, she stopped moving and looked up at him breathing heavily.

Daryl noticed she had stopped. "You done? Why did you attack me?"

"Let me go."

"Not a chance in hell."

"You fucking dumbass. If I wasn't so damn weak I would kick your fucking ass."

Daryl didn't comment. He was waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. Obviously, something that he had said set her off. He mood did a full 180 in a couple seconds. "We'll sit here all night if we 'ave to."

Ryder seethed underneath him. "I didn't tell Beth to attack Dawn."

Daryl looked down at her confused. "What?"

"When she came over to hug me I told her to keep an eye on you motherfucker. I didn't tell her to try to kill Dawn. Dawn had said something that pissed her off and she decided to do that on her own. I told her that I would find my way back to you guys."

Daryl looked down at her stunned. When he had seen her whisper something to Beth he thought for sure that Ryder had told her to do it. He needed to get over that fact before he could talk to her, so he didn't mess up and say something stupid like he did about Matt.

"Are you happy now! Let's just blame Ryder for everyone's death!" Ryder started thrashing around again.

Daryl looked down at her but didn't release her. If he did she was either going to deck him or she was going to leave for good. He didn't want either of those things to happen. "Ryder."

He wasn't getting through to the blonde. She was moving trying to get out, but she was frustrated. She was tired and angry and finally, she just broke down.

Daryl watched her, and he noticed she was crying. He felt terrible that he had been treating her so bad. There wasn't any reason for her to be treated that way. She already dealt with so much and he made everything worse. "Ryder… I'm… sorry. I didn't know."

She stopped moving but tears kept falling from her eyes. "Of course, you didn't know. How would you? I thought you trusted me! I would never purposefully put someone in the way of danger. You've been icing me out and I hated myself for it. I thought I did something that made you hate me. I was tempted to leave the group so many times.

Daryl just looked down at her sad because he had never seen her look so broken before.

"I know it's my fault Matt died. With the way you have been acting, I second guessed myself and thought that Beth's was also my fault even though I didn't do anything."

Daryl didn't take his eyes off of her. "I'm sorry. Your friend's death wasn' your fault."

Ryder blinked the tears out of her eyes. "You said back at the warehouse that it was though."

Daryl just shook his head. "You weren' listening. I was… scared for you. You kept wantin' to kill everyone. I didn't know how to make you see reason." Daryl gently released one of Ryder's arms. The hand that was free moved down to her cheek and his thumb wiped some tears from her cheek. "I didn' know how you were feelin'. I'm sorry. If you don' forgive me then I understand."

Ryder looked up at him. "Don't do that again. I was lost. The rest of the group sides with you over me. If you hate me then they will for the most part. I felt so lost."

Daryl sighed. He moved hair out of her face that had landed there when she was thrashing around. "I won'. I'll trust you from now on. I'll talk to you if I get somethin' messed up."

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Will you stay with us?"

Ryder smiled somewhat and nodded her head yes. She never wanted to leave in the first place. She just thought it was the best option for the group if there was distrust among the members.

Daryl kept watching her. He was relieved that she was going to stay with them. He was panicking when she was going to leave. He had grown accustomed to having her around. He looked at her eyes. They were so blue. They reminded him of the ocean. He had never been there but there were those scenery pictures on computers. The pictures where they had such vibrant colors. Her eyes reminded him of the blue oceans in those pictures. Her skin was so tan. They had been outside a lot after Terminus and the church. She had been in the sun about as long as any of them, but she was so much tanner then everyone. Except for him at least. Her hair was almost silver also. He guessed that because of the sun her already bright blond hair lost a lot of the color because of the sun.

Ryder kept looking at him watching him. He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't moving. He wasn't hurting her, but he hadn't moved off from her either. She didn't know what was going on. The long that he stayed on top of her the faster that her heart raced. She was confused because she had never seen him do anything like this before. It looked like he was in a trance. "Daryl?" She called. He didn't answer. "Daryl, what are you doing? We should get ba…" Before she could finish what, she was saying he leaned down and kissed her.

Ryder's eyes grew wide. She never thought that he would kiss her. She finally closed her eyes and savored him. His lips were smooth but rough at the same time. She could feel the scruff around his face. Up until now she never thought that she would want him to kiss her but now that it was happening she never wanted it to stop.

After a few more seconds Daryl pulled away from her. He kept watching her without saying anything. She started to smile, and she was about ready to say something but that's when the sound of Carol yelling for them broke them from their trance.

Daryl snapped out of it and he had noticed what he did. Instantly his face turned red. He scrambled off of Ryder considering he still had her held down. He grumbled he was sorry but before she could say anything to counter that sorry they heard Carol yelling for them again. She sounded frantic.

They looked at each other. They grabbed the squirrels and their weapons and ran to where the cars were. They busted out from the tree line and they saw that Carol had tears in her eyes. Ryder and Daryl looked around at everyone. They were all crying. Ryder grabbed Daryl's wrist and made him look over in front of the car. There laying on the ground was Tyreese's lifeless body. Rick and Sasha were standing over him. Sasha looked lost.

Daryl and Ryder walked over to the big man. Ryder brought her hand up to her mouth. Another one of their group members was gone. This man had helped save her life. He was so sweet. He didn't want to kill or anything. All he wanted to do was live his life and protect everyone in his life. Ryder squeezed Daryl's wrist.

The hunter looked down at Tyreese. He didn't deserve to go out that way. He didn't deserve to die because of walkers. Hell, none of them deserved to die that way. He felt Ryder squeeze his wrist and without thinking he moved his arm out of her hand and held her hand instead. They kept losing people and they didn't know what to do.

Later that day Ryder stood next to Daryl and Rick. She was just standing there with a shovel because she helped Rick dig the grave for Tyreese. Daryl said he would do it, but she wanted to because he had helped save her life. Gabriel was giving him his last rights and praying for his soul. Everyone had said their peace to him. She couldn't stay around and listen to Gabriel. She didn't believe there was a God around that would do this to them. She didn't believe that if they did have a God that he would make them live the way they do and take away the good people and leave the people who didn't deserve to live in this world. She walked over and sat in the car she was in originally waiting for everyone to be done. She still felt empty, but it was for a different reason now. Instead of feeling empty because of Daryl now it was because she didn't have any hope left for their group. They were just going to keep dying until the last person stood alone and eventually fell also.

Well everyone here is chapter 12. I know this chapter is a little different then the other ones I have written. I just wanted to give Daryl and Ryder a chance to figure their shit out. Let me know if you liked this chapter or not. Thanks, everyone! Also, if you guys have any ideas or comments then let me know! I love hearing them.


	13. Chapter 13 - Sanctuary For Now

Hey, everyone! I hope you guys are all doing well. I hope you guys are liking the chapters I have been posting. I really want to post more regularly. I hate having this story just sit around. Anyway, I think I'm either going to post 2 or 3 chapters each weekend if I'm not swamped with homework. So, here's your third chapter for this weekend. I want to give you guys the ending however it ends. I hope you guys enjoy and don't be afraid to review. I like hearing what you guys have to say.

 **Chapter 13-Sanctuary… For Now**

Ryder looked around at her surroundings. There wasn't much to see considering they were surrounded by woods. Her group had been walking for a while now. She looked around at everyone. They all seemed like walkers the way they were shambling ahead. Their cars had run out of gas a while ago. They hadn't been able to do much else and they couldn't just sit in one place hoping something would work out. They decided that walking to try to find a place to hunker down for a while would be a good option.

The blonde closed her eyes looking up at the sky. She would kill for some music right about now. She had loved music before the world fell. If she was doing something that she didn't need to concentrate on she would always have a pair of headphones in listening to music as loud as her ears allowed her to go. She would also be fine if it rained but now she was wishing for life to be easy.

She looked back down from the sky watching the group. Her eyes finally landed on Daryl. After their talk… well, their fighting match everything seemed to be fine now. He wasn't avoiding her like he was. He would talk to her like he used to before the hospital. He was slightly awkward when they were alone though. She assumed he was awkward because of the kiss they had shared back in the woods. She smirked to herself. She didn't not like it, but she needed to focus on everything around her. They all did. No one could afford to get careless or else their group would keep falling one by one.

Ryder watched everyone walking ahead of her. Their group was spread out. They were tired and hungry. Rick had put her in the back while Daryl and Rick stayed up front. She noticed movement up front when Daryl handed Rick the assault rifle he had been carrying. Ryder watched as Daryl peeled off from the rest of the group into the trees. She jogged up front standing next to Rick. "What's he doing?"

"Said he's going to try to find some food or water."

Carol started to follow after Daryl. "I'll come with."

He stopped and turned around. "I got it."

"You gonna stop me?" Carol had asked but he gave her a look.

"I said I got it."

Carol slowed up as he disappeared into the woods. Ryder looked over at Rick. "None of us should be alone. I know he can handle himself, but we are all weak."

Rick watched her and then nodded his head in the direction that Daryl had disappeared to. She nodded in confirmation and jogged after him. Before she could get into the woods Carol called after her. She stopped, turning around meeting the woman halfway. Carol handed her a knife. "Give him this, please?"

Ryder looked down taking the knife. She recognized it. She knew who it belonged to. "Of course."

Carol smiled at the blonde as she turned around to run after Daryl. It took Ryder a minute to catch up to him but when he heard her behind him he stopped turning around.

"Thought I said I got it?"

Ryder shrugged her shoulders walking up next to him. "You did."

"So why did'ja follow me?"

"Because I wanted to be around your winning personality." She looked at him pointedly. "Are you done complaining? I don't want to be out here all night."

Daryl watched the blonde walk ahead of him. "You know where ur goin'?"

"Nope." She kept walking ahead of him. "Better come take point."

Daryl rolled his eyes sighing at the woman. He walked up a little ahead of her but still next to her. She had started to revert back to her old self when he told her what happened. He still hated himself for blaming her for something she didn't do. She seemed to be over it though. Instead of looking worse then everyone like she had been before she now looked tired and hungry but not worse.

They were able to find their way into a clearing. It looked like a river had been there before but now the path was covered in weeds. She looked over at the hunter. "Anything?"

"No, it's too dry."

Ryder kept wandering around trying to find something, but nothing was standing out to her. She looked up into the field and that was when something caught her eye. She started walking over to what she saw. There was a field with overgrown weeds, but these weeds were different. Instead of a field like they were standing in these weeds had some type of order. It was like an order that a farmer would put his crops in.

Daryl looked over at the blonde. He was expecting her to say something when she followed him out here for no reason. He noticed that she wasn't moving she was just standing still looking over at nothing. "Ryder." The hunter called. She didn't respond. Right after he called for her she took off running towards what she saw. "Goddammit." Daryl cursed. He took off running after the woman not understanding where she was going.

The blonde was tired, and her legs ached because of no food but if she was right then they would be able to bring the group here. Daryl had caught up with her by the time that she was rounding a section of trees and there she saw it. They hadn't seen a house in a while so anything they could find was good news.

Daryl caught up with her and stopped when he saw the house. It wasn't massive, but it wasn't small either. It looked like an old plantation house he would have seen in the south. With them being around Richmond now he figured it was just an old Victorian house considering how old it looked and the style.

Ryder turned huffing trying to catch her breath. She looked over at him and smirked, which gained her an eye roll from the man next to her. "We need to go tell the group. There may not be much food left but it's a place to stay for a while. We can get some of our strength back."

The blonde turned to walk away back toward the group but stopped which caused Daryl to nearly knock into her. "The hell you doin'?"

She turned facing him and pulled Beth's knife out of her pocket. "I didn't know her well, but she was a sweet girl. I don't know how close you two were. You have been hurting for a while. We can see it." Ryder handed Daryl over the knife.

He was watching her. He didn't know what she was going to say. He didn't want to dredge up these feelings that he had been trying so hard to keep hidden. He looked down at the small knife in his hand but kept watching Ryder out of the corner of his eye.

She smiled sadly. "I may be a hypocrite saying this, but you have to let yourself feel something." She made a point to look him in the eyes. "Living with your emotions hidden isn't any way to live. Talk it out with yourself or with someone or just sit in a corner and cry. Fuck, go out and punch a tree or something. Just deal with it."

The hunter still didn't say anything. He didn't want to. He knew that if he tried to right now he would lose it. He couldn't do that in front of Ryder. If he broke down in front of her then he would be weak. He couldn't let her see him when he was weak.

"Come on let's go grab the group so we can clear the house and get some rest." She turned and made her way back the way they had come. She could feel Daryl following behind her but at a slower pace. She figured that he was thinking and that was why he was letting her lead him back to the group instead of the other way around.

Ryder grabbed her crossbow and moved it from her shoulder as they entered the edge of the woods again. She heard Daryl comment from behind her. "That what you do? Hide ur emotions?"

The blonde slowed her pace, but she kept walking. "No. I mean I'm actually a pretty easy person to read. If something happens then you can see it on my face. I've never really been good at that. Most of the time I'm just annoyed or pissed off, so I don't have to worry about people approaching me."

Daryl watched her back. He didn't mean it like that. He knew that part about her already. He could see through her the minute that she had stepped into the prison. Her face would always remain passive, but he could see it in her eyes. "Not what I meant."

Ryder sighed. "I figured. When we get the group and get into the house. Come find me when everyone is settled, and I'll tell you what I do when that happens." She kept pushing forward. Even though he threw Matt's death in her face she couldn't help but trust the other man. He had always been there… within reason. He was scared for her mental stability and made her listen to bringing Matt up. The whole thing with Beth was understandable. The way he saw it everything that had happened made sense in his mind. The main reason why she had gotten so mad at him was because he didn't talk to her about it. If he would have just confronted her about what he thought, then they would have gotten over that a while ago.

Finally, Ryder and Daryl broke through the forest and made their way up to the road. She looked down the road and saw that the group had taken down the walkers that had been following them for a while. She could see that the group didn't see Daryl or her, so she looked around and made sure there weren't any walkers around in their immediate vicinity. She brought her fingers up to her mouth and called out to the group with a short and shrill whistle.

The group turned hearing Ryder's whistle. Ryder scoffed to herself a little. The way they turned around and looked at her made it seem like they were a bunch of walkers. Hopefully, this house they had found has some good food in it. They can start to recover their energy back. Daryl and her could also go hunting and possibly bag some small game before they left.

After a while the group made it over to Daryl and Ryder. She walked over to Rick updating him with what they found. "Well, we didn't find any water." Rick nodded his head. He seemed to be expecting bad news. That's all they had been able to report lately was bad news. "But, we did find an old Victorian style house not too far from here. We haven't cleared it yet. It's a place where we can be for a few days to figure out what our next move is." Rick let out a sigh of relief. Ryder looked around at the rest of the group. They didn't seem so dead now that there was a sliver of hope for something. She didn't know what that sliver of hope was, but it was something.

Ryder and Daryl walked side by side leading the group to the house. The hunter and ranger seemed to have a little more steam than everyone else, so they were a little far ahead. Daryl kept glancing over at the blonde walking next to him. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what. Whenever he let his brain wander when it was quiet it always wondered to the kiss that he shared with Ryder. She had also been acting differently than how she was before. She seemed content. She wasn't necessarily happy, but she seemed to have stopped trying to push everyone away. He was still the only one that could touch her because she was still self-conscious about the metal in her body, but she was getting better.

The group looked up at the building standing tall in front of them. It had been a white house, but the paint was peeling off the building severely. All the windows seemed to be covered so they couldn't look into the house. There was a big deck on the back of the house. It seemed like the people who had owned the house originally were planning on putting a pool in before shit hit. There was the beginning of a hole in the ground pushed right up to the deck.

They walked around to the front of the building and there was a huge porch that wrapped around to the side of the building to the front. Rick handed Judith to Carl who took her. Daryl, Ryder, Rick, and Michonne all stood at the double doors read to head in and clear what they needed to.

Ryder stood next to Daryl on the porch both with their bows at the ready. Rick and Michonne both took a door. Rick counted to three with his fingers and when he got to three Michonne and him threw the doors open. Both the hunter and the ranger pushed through into the main entrance looking around. So far, they didn't see anything or hear anything right off the bat. Daryl and Ryder were walking around the entrance when Rick smacked one of the doors making enough noise to draw anything out from hiding. Everyone heard a few noises from the second floor. Both Daryl and Ryder looked at each other and then looked behind at Rick. The older man nodded his head giving them confirmation to go up the stairs.

Ryder walked ahead of Daryl up the stairs since she was closer than he was. She checked behind her and saw that Rick and Michonne had gone to the left into the family area. She turned back around gliding up the stairs. She sighed when she noticed that every room upstairs was closed. They got up the stairs and there was a door on their immediate right. Ryder moved off to the side and grabbed the door handle gently. She counted to three with her fingers the same way that Rick had done downstairs. Ryder pushed open the door and moved out of the way. Instantly she moved behind Daryl with her crossbow up. There wasn't anything in the room that was dead. Ryder quickly made her way over to the closet and checked while Daryl checked under the bed. That room was clear.

The ranger and the hunter moved into the hall and this time Daryl grabbed the knob of the door next to the bedroom they just check. He went through the same process of counting to three. Ryder busted in and immediately she was hit in the face with a rotten stench. She turned around trying to get away from the smell that she hadn't been prepared for. She smacked into Daryl's chest pushing him back confused. He had barely gotten into the bathroom before Ryder backtracked from the bathroom. Ryder went into the bedroom they just cleared and bent over trying to not throw up. Even if she did she wouldn't have anything to throw up. Her stomach was empty. Daryl walked into the bathroom and once the smell hit his senses he brought his bandana to his face.

Sitting in the bathtub was what looked to be a man. Daryl couldn't really tell. The man was lying dead in water. Daryl didn't know how long that he had been there, but it was long enough that the part of the body that was submerged in the water was decomposed but the rest of the body that hadn't sunk down had bloated and the skin was falling off the face. The eyes were bulging, and he could see that there was a bullet hole in his forehead. Daryl looked around a little but couldn't find the gun he used so he assumed that it had fallen in the water. Of course, he couldn't see into the water because it was pretty much black sludge by now. The hunter backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Ryder had her eyes closed bent over with her hands resting on her knees. Her stomach was settling. She hadn't ever smelt anything so foul in her entire life. Even not being able to shower weeks on end. She thought that being around a bunch of men in the army smelled but they had smelt like roses compared to what she just walked into. There was a mental flash in Ryder's head that reminded her of something in her past, but she shook it out of her head. The blonde heard the floorboards squeak next to her and she half looked over to see Daryl leaning against the door frame of the bedroom she was currently in.

"Need time?" Daryl asked her. He didn't blame her. That smell was foul.

Ryder took in another breath and stood up. "No, let's keep moving. It's getting dark."

Ryder and Daryl moved through the rest of the rooms upstairs. They only had to take down one walker in what they assumed was the master bedroom. Daryl went downstairs to tell the group that everything was clear. Ryder was following him, but she stopped and turned around. She went into the master bedroom and rummaged around. She was able to find was she was looking for. She grabbed a couple bottles of lipstick and went to the bathroom door that held the man. She crossed an "X" on the door and wrote, "DO NOT ENTER." She didn't want anyone walking in there by accident and having the same problem she did. Not everyone could hold their stomach like she could.

Everyone piled into the house excited that they could finally stop moving for longer than a few hours. Everyone was gathered in the family room. They had been able to find some food scattered through the house. It wasn't much but it was something considering they had been running on empty for a while. Rick stood at the edge of the door after everyone was done eating. "There aren't beds for all of us and I know that. I know that everyone is tired, but we need to figure out where everyone is sleeping."

Ryder looked around at everyone, but no one was saying anything. The blonde stood up making everyone look at her. "Rick. You, Judith and Carl, go ahead and take the master bedroom. The bed will be big enough for all three of you comfortably." Rick was about ready to protest but Ryder cut him off before she could say anything. "Glen and Maggie. There's a bedroom upstairs that has a queen bed. It may be cramped but you guys should be fine. Same thing goes for you Rosita and Abraham. Check upstairs. There will be a bed for you two."

The blonde was looking around at everyone thinking. She wanted to make this fair for everyone because they had all been without beds for so long, so she didn't want to take comfort away from anyone. "Noah, there's a small twin bed upstairs. Go ahead and take that one. This house is big, and it's surrounded by woods. I think it would be a good idea to have four people on watch at a time." Ryder looked over to Rick waiting for his confirmation.

Rick looked at his group trying to assess their current condition. "I agree. We can spare four people at a time. We don't need to get caught off guard if a herd moves through suddenly."

Ryder looked back at everyone still sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall. "I think the best people to go on watch first would be Daryl, Michonne, Tara and myself. We seem to be the most awake out of everyone. That means Father Gabriel, Eugene, Sasha, and Carol will take the couch, chair and love seat in the living room. That should leave everyone with a comfortable spot to sleep." Ryder sighed content with her plan. She was happy that no one had to sleep on the floor. Their group needed comfort right now.

She went to turn around to start watch but Father Gabriel spoke up. "Umm… what about the people on watch? Where do they sleep?"

Ryder turned finding him in the crowd of people on the floor. "The people on the first watch will switch with the people on second watch and so on. Maggie, Glen, Rick, and Carol can take second watch. After that, I don't really care what happens. You guys are adults. You can figure it out. Just make sure that someone doesn't do double duty. Everyone has to get as much sleep as possible."

Before anyone could ask her something else she went upstairs. There was a balcony that she saw on the front of the house. She wanted to keep watch up there since it gave the best vantage point for the front of the house. She opened the door and the cool night air that had started to settle in rushed into the house. She smiled slightly and sat on the balcony railing. She didn't mind being on watch because it gave her a chance to be alone. It was even better because they were in a house now instead of the open.

Ryder heard the door open behind her. Before she could turn around and look behind her to see who it was she heard heavy boots hitting the wood of the balcony. She smirked to herself. "You coming to interrogate me now?"

Daryl walked over and sat in the only chair on the balcony across from Ryder. "Ya didn' make urself hard to find."

Ryder laughed slightly. "No, I guess I didn't."

They stayed quiet for a solid ten minutes. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was nice just sitting on the balcony feeling the cool breeze move around them. The woods were also peaceful right now. It was like the world was giving them a break from all the shit that had been going down.

Daryl looked over at the blonde. Her hair was up but the wind was still moving it a little. The full moon out reflected off her eyes making them seem silver. His eyes started to rake down her form, but he stopped himself. He shook his head when he noticed what he was doing. He looked into the woods trying to hide the red that had crept into his face. It was a good thing that it was dark so even if she was looking at him she probably wouldn't have seen his embarrassment. He scowled to himself for doing that again. He had lost himself before in the woods. That was when he had kissed her. He didn't know what he was doing but when it finally hit him his lips were connected to the blondes. He had had no intention of kissing her or doing anything with her. She was a great friend when she was being herself. She was a great friend when she was having issues too, but it was a little harder to get along with her.

He shook his head again and looked back over at the blonde. "Ya goin' to explain what we were talking 'bout earlier?"

"Yeah, I guess I can if you really want to know." She looked over at him. He just watched her waiting for her to explain herself.

"Well, when I was younger my mom was a shrink. She was an awesome mom but when she tried to shrink me it was annoying. From a young age, she would always tell me that I was overly empathetic."

Daryl cocked his head looking over at her. "What's that mean?"

"Pretty much the short version is that I try to make other people's problems my problems. I can feel how others are feeling. I understand what it feels when other people are having issues. That's one reason I like being alone. I feel like I need to help everyone, but I also feel emotionally drained by being surrounded by people."

"You're still with us though." Daryl started to feel somewhat panicked. He adjusted himself in his seat.

"Yeah, it's because I have started to move past it. My dad wasn't the most supportive of me when I was younger, so he forced me to get over some of my problems." Ryder looked back over to the woods making sure that she didn't get too distracted from watching the house.

Daryl stopped moving around in his chair. It made him feel better that she wasn't leaving the group or even thinking about leaving them.

"So, what you're talking about is the best way that I could do my job and not hate myself too much after. As a ranger, we had to be ready to leave at any moment. I didn't have the time to get in the mental state of some of the things that I had to do." Ryder sighed. She didn't mind talking about this, but it just made her remember all the feelings that would flood back to her. "I was able to create a type of mental switch in my brain. When we were called to a mission I would have to turn my switch on so that I could do what I needed to do on the battlefield."

Daryl looked over at her stunned. "So ya can jus' not feel anythin' whenever ya want?"

"Not exactly. If that was true I wouldn't bother turning it off. When I would get done on a mission I would make sure I was away from everyone. When I flip my switch off all those emotions come flooding back to me. It's like getting hit with a wave of whatever I should have been feeling during that time."

Daryl couldn't even comprehend what she was talking about. It sounded like she was lying about this. This didn't sound real. Being able to turn off emotions whenever she felt?

Ryder chuckled slightly. "I know how it sounds. I sound like a nutcase. When I found out I was going to the army and I would be going to war I went to a hypnotist and he did something to my mental state." She looked over at Daryl and noticed that he wasn't saying anything. "Look I know I sound insane."

Ryder stood up to go check on the other people on watch. Before she could leave the balcony Daryl gently grabbed her wrist. "Don' go. I'm sorry. Just never heard of somethin' like that befor'."

Ryder backed up and sat on the balcony again. "Like I said I don't blame you. It's weird. I'm weird."

Daryl stood and leaned on the railing. He lowered his voice. "No, ya ain't."

Ryder dropped down from her perch and leaned next to Daryl. She smiled. "What was that?"

Daryl looked down at the ground below him. "Would 'av been nice to have that when I was younger."

"How come?"

The hunter moved back and forth on each foot fidgeting. "Didn't have the greatest childhood growin' up."

"Well, if you want to talk then I'm here. Listening is something that I'm good at." Ryder looked over at Daryl again leaning her chin on her shoulder. Daryl did the same thing looking back over to her. "Any other questions?"

"How 'bout 'nother tattoo?"

Ryder thought about it for a minute. "Sure, have one in mind that you've been curious about?"

"Your other leg… also what 'bout the rest of the creed?"

"My ranger creed?"

Daryl just nodded his head. "Well, the one of my leg is my space tattoo. When I was in the army there were a lot of times I would look at the stars or the moon. I would wonder what it would be like if I wasn't on earth. If I could be in the stars and just… be instead of having to worry about everything here. So, I got my favorite place tattooed on me." Ryder smiled thinking back to when she would have the chance to just lay on the ground and stare up at the stars.

Daryl looked over and noticed her smiling. She barely smiled but she had been doing it a lot more lately. He smirked to himself. It was nice seeing her not miserable lately. He leaned forward slightly not thinking about anything other than Ryder in that current moment.

Ryder saw him lean forward and she copied him. There was a flash of Daryl's face from her dream that she had at the prison. She coughed and pulled away awkwardly. When they pulled away Maggie opened the door to the balcony with Glen following her. "I thought that we were supposed to switch out?"

The blonde pushed away from the railing. "Yeah. Lost track of time." She moved passed Maggie going into the house. Her face was red, and she didn't want them to see or else they would start thinking something was going on between her and Daryl.

"Ryder." She turned around seeing that Maggie had called her. "Tara and Michonne have already switch so the bed that Glen and I slept in is available."

The ranger continued into the house waving her hand over her shoulder. "Thanks."

Ryder went into the room Maggie was talking about and flopped down on the bed. Her right leg was hanging off the bed. She was so tired. Finally, laying down on an actual bed felt so good. She hadn't noticed how tired she actually was. She laid her arm over her eyes and closed them. She was about ready to pass out when she heard the door open to the room. She opened one of her eyes and looked over seeing an awkward Daryl walking in the room. She noticed that he was in the process of laying a blanket on the floor. "What are you doing?"

"What's it look like?"

"Well, it looks like you're about ready to sleep on the floor." Daryl looked over at her not saying anything. "Don't sleep on the floor. There is plenty of room on the bed for both of us. We are both adults."

Daryl awkwardly rubbed the back of his head looking at her. Before he could say anything to protest she stopped him. "Just get your ass over here and sleep."

He came over to the bed and laid down keeping space between the two of them.

Ryder started to fall asleep again. She stopped herself. "The rest of the creed is pretty long. I told you what the R stood for. A means acknowledging the fact that a ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air. I accept the fact that as a ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier."

Daryl looked over at her. "Sounds intense."

Ryder closed her eyes. She had stayed true to her comrades but there were always some parts of the creed that she felt she hadn't kept up with and for a ranger that wasn't possible. "Yeah. We were the elite squad. We needed to be intense. Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some." She felt like she had done exactly that to Matt. She felt like she failed a comrade.

The hunter waited for her to continue but when she didn't he wanted to make sure that she wasn't sleeping. "Ryder? You ok?"

"Yeah, Sorry. Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow."

"Damn, Ryder. They sound like a bunch of hard asses." He felt Ryder nod her head in agreement.

"You aren't wrong." She paused and then continued. It had been a long time since she had thought about her creed and her comrades other than Matt and Justin. "Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I embarrass my country."

Daryl leaned up on his elbow looking over at her in the darkness. "You were left."

Ryder smiled sadly. "Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the ranger objective and complete the mission though I may be a lone survivor."

Daryl just stared at her. He didn't understand what she was getting at.

"The reason Matt and I were left was because we were extracting a high-profile target. He was our utmost priority. If he died while we were extracting him then we would be a disgrace to the code. I stayed with Matt and told them to go on since I was injured and couldn't run, and Matt was unconscious. The insurgents got to us before I could figure out what to do."

The hunter laid back down on the bed. "Why the rangers?"

Ryder shrugged her shoulders but remembered that he couldn't see her. "My dad was a ranger and he was promoted for excellence in the service. I had the case of trying to impress my dad. At first, I did because I had been the first and only woman to join the rangers and pass the tests to get in. When he had heard Matt died while I was there he thought I could have done something else, so he didn't die." Ryder sighed thinking about her father. She rolled over onto her side facing the edge of the bed. "He never came to see me in the hospital or check up on me when I was in rehabilitation. Our argument was the last time I talked to him.

Daryl was about ready to say something, but he didn't know what to say. He had a bad childhood too, but he didn't know how to share with her and let her know that she wasn't alone.

"It could've been worse. Night Daryl." Ryder passed out not hearing Daryl respond and tell her night also.

What did you guys think!? I wanted to try to give more backstory to Ryder considering she seems like a mystery. After this stuff will start heating up for the group. Thanks for ready guys and the next chapter will be up next weekend. I can't wait to hear from you guys!


	14. Chapter 14 - Strangers

**Chapter 14** : Strangers

Daryl woke up hearing sounds coming from downstairs. He remembered that he and Ryder had found an old Victorian style house. Their group had decided to bunk at the house for a few days trying to regain their energy.

He heard people downstairs making noise but he was surprised because usually, he was up before most people. He must have been even more exhausted then it seemed if he overslept. The hunter closed his eyes. He didn't want to move from where he was. He was warm and comfortable laying on the bed. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this comfortable. Sure, he had the beds that were in the prison but he didn't completely fit on those beds. He was too broad to be fully comfortable unlike he was right now.

Daryl had laid there a minute or two longer when he heard someone call his name. His eyes shot open looking around the room. That was when he looked down next to him and remembered that he had shared a bed with Ryder last night. He looked down and noticed that Ryder was laying against him. Her cheek was laying against his chest and her hand had come up laying on his side.

Instead of moving he decided to lay there and watch her. This was the first time that he had seen her face without any tension. She was completely relaxed laying with him. He hadn't ever really been the cuddling type but he didn't mind having Ryder laying against him like she was.

While he was watching her, she called for him in her sleep again. She sounded more distressed then she did before. He wanted to know what she was dreaming about. The only time she talked about dreams was when she was talking about the nightmares that she always had. He was thankful that he didn't have to worry about nightmares coming to haunt him. He already had enough to worry about with how the world was now.

Daryl felt her hand grab a fistful of his shirt. Ever so softly he heard her say "stop" and "don't." The hunter furrowed his brows curious what she was dreaming about now. Her facial features were becoming more distressed the longer that she didn't wake up. He heard her whimper "please." She sounded so broken. Her voice cracked and she sounded like she was pleading with someone. He adjusted his position as gently as he could without waking her up. When he adjusted he noticed that a tear had run down her cheek.

All he could do was watch her. He didn't know if he should wake her up or not. He didn't want to startle her awake and freak out like she was known to do. After a couple more seconds, of hearing her whimpering he decided to try to wake her up. Before he could respond she yelled "stop" successfully waking herself up. Ryder shot up in bed looking around frantically.

When the shock wore off Daryl was sitting up making sure she could see him. "Ryder. You're okay."

Ryder looked around breathing heavy. She had her nightmare again. She looked over and saw that Daryl was looking at her concerned. She just took a deep breath and rubbed her face with her hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She rubbed her face and she noticed that there was a dry tear mark on her cheek. She wiped her face making sure that he didn't see it.

The blonde scooted over to the edge of the bed and pulled her boots on. Daryl just watched her back while he was trying to figure out what to say to her. "Y…you alright?"

Ryder just waved her hand over her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. No problem." She didn't want to tell him that he had started invading her dreams. She didn't want to re-live watching him die by execution. He no longer told her it was her fault in her dreams but she still had to watch him die. She couldn't tell him. He would think she was crazy. She couldn't ruin whatever they had or were working on. She stood up and went to leave the room.

"Ryder," Daryl called standing up from the bed. She stopped turning around. He watched her. Her face showed that there wasn't anything wrong. She was a professional at schooling her features trying to show that nothing was wrong. He watched her eyes and they told him everything that he needed to know. He could see that she was frightened. He didn't know why she was frightened or what about but he could tell that she was scared of something. He wanted to ask her but he assumed he would have to wait and find a time like he had last night. He had to catch her off guard when she was more of a human instead of being a soldier. It was the only time he would be able to get an honest answer out of her other than having her saying she was fine when obviously she wasn't. "Nothin'. I'll just see ya downstairs."

She nodded her head in confirmation and turned leaving the room. She was happy that he didn't push the matter but she had a feeling that Daryl knew that something was wrong. He knew how to read people and whether she liked it or not he knew how to read her.

Her heavy boots pounded their way down the wooden stairs alerting everyone that she was awake. Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking at her. She squinted her eyes, confused. "What?" No one said anything and instead went back to doing whatever they were doing before she showed up. She walked up to the bulk of the people. She could see that Sasha and Maggie weren't part of the group meeting. "How much food do we have left?"

Tara, who hadn't really talked to her much stood up addressing her. She wasn't sure but the other woman seemed skittish around the older blonde. Ryder didn't think anything of it. "We have enough to get us through today and tomorrow but that's it."

Ryder looked over her shoulder when she heard Daryl step down from the stairs. Everyone shifted their gaze from her to him. "Alright. We will go hunting to see if we can get any animals." Ryder grabbed the strap of her crossbow and left the main entrance walking out onto the deck. She looked over noticing Rick sitting in a rocking chair that was left by the previous owners. He had Judith in his arms rocking her back and forth. "Daryl and I are going to go hunting to see if we can get some more food. I don't want to run out and have people start starving again."

Rick just nodded his head agreeing with the plan. "Just don't wander too far."

"We'll be fine. No need to be a mother goose." Ryder stepped down onto the ground and turned to her right walking into the woods. The hunter followed after her. She turned watching him. "You don't have to follow me. We will find animals better if we split up."

Daryl watched her turn and continue on. He wanted to stay with her in case something happened but he knew that he didn't have to. He couldn't come up with an excuse to travel with her. She had a good point. They would cover more ground if they didn't move together. He sighed and turned the opposite way that Ryder had disappeared to.

Ryder had been walking around for an hour or two. She had three squirrels hanging from the line that she had on her combat pants. She decided to call it a day. Hopefully, she and Daryl had gotten enough animals for their group to live a couple more days.

The blonde stopped and looked around. It was about three in the afternoon. She smiled to herself looking around. She hadn't had a problem with walkers hanging around. She was able to hunt peacefully. She missed the peace. That's one of the main things that she missed about the old world. Being able to go outside in the woods and not have to constantly be on alert just in case you came across a walker. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She couldn't stop herself. The woods always smelled so good compared to anything else. Being out among the trees was probably her favorite place.

She opened her eyes and continued walking toward the house. She wasn't making any noise. Her time as a Ranger made her silent. They had to be silent because if they weren't they would alert the enemy that people were there. Most of the missions they completed they needed to be in and out completely silent.

She saw the house through the trees but then she noticed that someone was crouched by a bush with some type of small satellite. She scowled kneeling down watching him. He hadn't noticed that she was behind him since she was silent. She wrapped her crossbow around her shoulder and pulled her machete from her holder on her thigh. Slowly she crept her way behind the stranger. Before they could react to someone behind them it was already too late.

Ryder put the sharp edge of the machete up to the mystery guests throat. She whispered in his ear. "Shut up. Don't talk. Don't yell. Don't try to run. If you follow what I say then I won't slit your throat and turn you into walker food. Understand?"

The stranger cautiously brought his hands into the air nodding slowly making sure that the blade at his throat didn't accidentally cut him.

"Good. Stand." Ryder stood with him keeping her blade tight against his throat. "Move." She pushed him towards the house. She stayed behind him but she also looked around behind her and to the sides seeing if she could see anyone else if he had a group. With an eagle eye, she watched the edge of the forest but she didn't see anyone watching them.

Rick was still sitting on the deck rocking in the chair. Judith liked the movement so he would do it for her as much as she wanted. She was sitting on his lap and he was talking to her making her laugh. Daryl had come back about 10 minutes ago but Ryder still hadn't shown her face. By chance, Rick glanced up from Judith and noticed that Ryder was walking someone to the house with her machete pushed against his throat. The stranger kept his hands in the air showing that he didn't have any weapons. Well, none that they could see anyway.

Rick shot up from his seat. "Daryl! Carl!"

Both the hunter and the boy came running over to where they had heard Rick call from. Daryl was the first to show up. "What's wrong?" Before Rick could say anything, he noticed what Rick had noticed. "Shit."

Carl came to the door. "Who's that?"

"Don't know." Rick handed Judith to Carl. Make sure that everyone is out of sight. The three of us are going to talk to him."

Carl wanted to protest but Rick had looked at him with an expression telling him that it wasn't up for discussion. The young boy took his younger sister and disappeared into the house.

Around that time Ryder pushed her hostage onto the deck. She wasn't messing around with a stranger who had them under surveillance. In her Sergeant's voice, she commanded Rick and Daryl. She looked at Rick. "Chair. Kitchen. Make sure everyone stays out." She looked over at Daryl. "Rope or something we can tie him up with." The man in front of her tried saying something but Ryder tightened the machete on his throat. "I said shut up or I drop you right here." She felt him swallow and he didn't try again.

Ryder, Daryl, and Rick stood at the edge of the kitchen. The stranger was sitting in a chair bound. He had a blindfold over his eyes. All his equipment and everything was laid out on the table next to them.

"Where did you find him?" Rick spoke up. He was unnerved that someone was surveilling them.

Ryder watched the other man not looking at her friends standing next to her. "I was coming back from hunting and I noticed him crouched in a bush with the satellite pointed toward the house."

Daryl was looking at the different equipment that he was carrying. "He have any friends?"

The blonde just shook her head. "No, he was alone from what I could tell. That doesn't mean he doesn't have someone waiting somewhere else." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I doubt he would be out here alone."

Rick walked over and took the blindfold off the man. He just looked around at the three people standing in front of him. His eyes landed on Ryder. She squinted over at him. "Talk."

"Well, my name's Aaron. I just want to make it known that I'm a friend." He looked between the three of them.

Daryl walked over from the table. "A friend who spies on people?"

"It's an unfortunate coincidence that Ryder found me when I was listening to you guys."

The blonde tightened her grip on her arms. She didn't like this. Her brain was telling her to end this guy and pack up their group. They needed to find another house or something to move to and make sure his group wasn't going to attack them.

"I came to speak to you, Rick." He looked over at the bearded man.

Rick watched the other man. "What?"

"I… I have a community. I want you to come and talk to my leader. I'm supposed to try to convince you all to join with us." Aaron adjusted in his seat trying to get comfortable. He looked around to all of them but he noticed that no one was going to say anything. "Daryl, if you look in my pack then in the front pocket there's an envelope." Daryl watched the stranger. He looked over at Rick. He just nodded to the hunter towards the pack. He walked over and searched finding a yellow envelope like he said. Rick took it and grabbed what looked like pictures.

Ryder walked over looking at the pictures over Rick's shoulder. Daryl moved over and did the same thing. "I have to apologize for the picture quality. We just found an old pictu…"

Before he could finish Ryder looked over at him. "Shut up." Immediately he stopped talking. He just watched them. He seemed to be doing everything they asked of him. He didn't want to piss them off. He knew what he was doing was dangerous. Not many people walked up to a random group and started talking to them about a community.

Rick flipped through the pictures. "The first one was taken on the outside of our community. Each panel on the wall is 15-feet-high and 12-feet-wide. I wanted to show your group that you guys will be safe in our community." Aaron kept talking trying to sell the groups leader on the community. "The thing that is as important as the walls and safety are the people that make up our community."

Aaron kept talking but Ryder looked up from the pictures ignoring what he was talking about. She didn't believe anything that he was saying. Her blood was boiling thinking that he actually thought that he could pull one over on their group. She scowled watching him talk and talk about his non-existent community. Before she knew it, she walked over and wound up decking the intruder in the cheek. He was instantly knocked out.

Ryder turned walking past the two men staring at her. She balled up her fist trying to get it to stop hurting. The metal in her hand always made it uncomfortable to punch things but it sure did pack a punch when she needed it to. She shook out her hand walking onto the deck slamming the door behind her. She was pissed off and she couldn't control herself right now. She hated it when people lied and tried to con their way to get what they wanted.

Ryder grabbed her bow that was leaning on the edge of the house. She left the porch walking off into the woods again. She needed to go for a walk to cool off but she also wanted to see if there was anyone else with him. She didn't believe for a second that he was alone. He had one measly gun and nothing else to protect himself.

The blonde walked over to where she had found him sneaking around. She wasn't a tracker like Daryl, but she could guess what direction he had come from and try looking around from there. She walked further into the woods looking around at the ground.

She had been wandering around for about 45 minutes but she didn't find anything. She had taken down a few walkers that had been shambling around. She didn't see anything from someone else that could have been hiding out like Aaron had. She had finally cooled off to the point that she thought she could go back to the house without beating someone into the ground. Ryder made her way back to the house. Nothing looked different from how she left it. They hadn't been attacked since she had left.

She opened the door and made her way back into the kitchen. Aaron was up and conscious. Apparently, he had been talking to Rick and Daryl along with the rest of the group while she was out.

Aaron caught sight of the blonde who had knocked him out. "That's a hell of a right cross, Ryder."

The blonde didn't say anything. She started to walk up to him again but Rick and Daryl both pushed her back away from him. It seemed like they didn't want her to kill him. Ryder turned and walked back out onto the deck. "What's the plan? Hold him until his group comes for him? Take him into the woods and execute him? Take his stuff and make him leave then we can find another house to hold up in?" Ryder finally noticed something when she had entered the house. "Where's Glen, Abraham, Maggie, Rosita, and Michonne?"

Rick and Daryl looked at each other then back at her. She crossed her arms over her chest. Rick stepped forward half a step. "He said there's one other person waiting for him. The flare gun was to signal him." Rick watched Ryder's face. She was losing her temper again but didn't say anything. "He said there's enough room for all of us. He would drive us to the community so we would believe him."

"Are you fucking serious, Rick?" Ryder stepped forward but Rick didn't back down from her. "You seriously think that he would want us to join his community? You're seriously going to entertain this idea?"

Rick watched her peeved that she didn't seem like she trusted his judgment. "I didn't say that I trusted him. Michonne and everyone went to go see if he was telling the truth. If he is telling the truth about his friend then that's a start."

Ryder turned pacing back and forth on the deck. "He doesn't just have one person! He will have enough to take out a group if he needs to. Michonne and everyone aren't coming back! We are down five people now. They are going to come and wipe us out!" The blonde was vibrating with anger.

Rick just turned and made his way into the house. "We can handle it."

Daryl stayed out on the deck with the blonde. He didn't want her disappearing on them for another hour like she had done before.

She looked over at the hunter. "Can you fucking believe this! I can't believe Rick is entertaining his idea!" She hadn't stopped pacing yet.

Daryl watched her. "Ya don't think Rick gave him the third degree?" The blonde stopped pacing at his words. "Rick don't trust him about as much as you. Other people wanted to see if he was lyin' or not."

Ryder watched Daryl. She trusted him and he believed him when he said that about Rick. She rubbed her hand over her face. She was an idiot for not trusting him. She knew that Rick wouldn't unnecessarily put their group in danger. "Sorry."

"'S not me you have to apologize to." Daryl crossed his arms. "Find anythin'?"

For a minute she was confused because she didn't know what he was talking about. Then she remembered that she had disappeared on them. "No. I just found a couple walkers roaming around. I couldn't find anything that gave away if there were more people."

Ryder walked past Daryl but he caught her wrist before she could leave. "You okay?"

She turned looking at him over her shoulder. "I'm fine. Like always." She gently pulled her wrist from his hand walking into the house.

Daryl squinted at her retreating back. "Always fine my ass." He walked into the house following her.

The blonde walked up to the group as they parted letting her into the kitchen. In her Sergeant's voice, she commanded everyone to leave. "I want to talk to him."

Rick watched Ryder. He wanted to make sure that she wouldn't mangle the new guy. He assessed that she wasn't going to lose her shit again. He told everyone to cover the outside perimeter just in case. "I'll be on the deck if you need me, Ryder."

The Ranger grabbed a chair placing it in front of Aaron sitting in it backward. She leaned on the back not answering their leader. She heard the door close as she watched the other man. He looked scared of her but he also wanted to be brave and keep face. She had to hand it to him he was good at trying.

"Are you planning on ambushing us here or when we get to the community?"

Aaron looked over at the blonde. He could see that she was completely serious with him. He sighed dropping his head. "I don't want to hurt your group."

"So, it's as simple as finding us, bringing us back and having to be recruited for your group?"

"Yes. It's that simple." Aaron looked up meeting her eyes. "I already told the other guys but you guys are survivors. You guys stayed together and didn't turn on each other even though you were starving. Survivors that ignored a pack of roamers on your tail."

Ryder squinted her eyes watching the stranger. "You don't know anything about us."

"I do know that you guys live by rules with each other. You all have a mutual respect for everyone. I know that you specifically live by a creed." Aaron flinched but tried to hide it when Ryder shot up from her chair.

"That was not for you to hear!" The blonde leaned down in his face.

Aaron didn't back away from her even though everything in his body was telling him to. "I'm sorry about that. I needed to know how your group was and sometimes I heard things that weren't meant for me to hear." He watched as Ryder backed up from him. She didn't take her eyes off him. He watched her walk around him. She seemed like a shark waiting for something to happen so she could end him. "You aren't going to trust me, are you?"

"What reason do I have to trust you? I catch you spying on us. You tell us there's this community that is so safe and you want us to join but we have to do your stupid audition first."

The other man just kept watching her. "Yes, it's unfortunate that you caught me like you did. I was planning on coming over to your group today. I didn't know you were in the woods. Your friend Daryl had just gotten back. I didn't follow him because he seemed like he needed some privacy."

Ryder stopped walking around. "What do you mean?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders hesitantly. He didn't know if he should tell her. "It just seemed like there was something wrong with him. When he came back he was fine."

Ryder scowled. She turned and left the house not saying anything to the stranger. Out on the porch, Rick was sitting with Judith in his lap eating applesauce. The blonde just rolled her eyes at their leader. "Where did Daryl go?"

Rick looked up from feeding Judith. Without saying anything he nodded down onto the ground. Ryder could see the hunter emerging from the woods.

"Thanks." She skipped the last step of the stairs and half jogged over to him.

Daryl was going to move spots because he wasn't seeing anything in the current position that he had chosen. He looked up to the house and that's when he saw a wave a blonde hair coming at him. She was practically jogging over to him. He looked at her confused. He didn't think he had done anything to her so he didn't know why she was acting the way she was.

Ryder grabbed Daryl's bicep and pulled him into the woods so that no one could see them talking or hear them. Once they were a good distance out she turned and looked at the hunter. She crossed her arms waiting for him to respond.

The hunter stood in front of her awkwardly. He didn't know why she had drug him out in the middle of the woods away from everyone. He watched her but she didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say either.

Finally, Ryder sighed. "What's up with you?"

"Don't know what your talkin' 'bout." Daryl calmly grabbed his strap of his crossbow. He was being completely honest with her. He didn't know what she was talking about.

"Our new stranger in there said that you looked upset when you left to go hunting today. When you came back you looked better."

Daryl instantly tensed up. He had completely forgotten that Aaron had been watching them.

Ryder squinted at the other man. His instant tension didn't go unnoticed by the Ranger. "What?"

"It was nothin'."

"Daryl, you don't need to l…" Ryder stopped talking. She had remembered that Sasha and Maggie had left earlier that morning too. Maggie had come back but Sasha was a little later with her arrival back to the house. "I get it."

The hunter watched the woman standing in front of him. He didn't understand what she got. He hadn't said anything to her. There wasn't anything for her to understand. While he was watching her, something washed over her face. He could see the realization in her eyes and something else that he wasn't used to seeing because it was new for him. He thought it was a hint of jealousy but he couldn't tell.

"Sorry I bothered you." The blonde walked past Daryl who was still standing stunned as to what was going on. Ryder walked out of the woods walking up to the house. She couldn't help but feel a small tinge of jealousy. It wasn't like she had a thing for Daryl. She could still feel a small amount of those residual feelings from her dream forever ago. She had just been ignoring them as much as she could.

Instead of walking over to Aaron she went upstairs and sat on the balcony where she had kept watch with Daryl last night. She could see a lot and this would help to make sure they didn't get ambushed.

Ryder sat on the railing leaning her back against the house. She didn't blame Daryl. Everyone needed someone, even when the world was like it was now. Sasha was beautiful and she was strong. She had been losing a lot of people close to her so she would naturally seek out someone else to help her with the burden of losing so many people. Daryl was strong and believe it or not he was sensitive. She had hoped that her feelings that were stuck in her heart weren't one-sided. Especially, after the kiss, they shared in the woods.

The blonde squinted squashing her hope. She had her friends. She didn't need to have a romantic relationship. She had said it when she first joined their group. Feelings got people killed. If she could then she would just turn her emotions off right now. The only problem would be she would need to keep them off forever or a huge rush of what she should have been feeling would knock her out for a day. She hated dealing with the rush of emotions after she turned her emotions back on. She always expected them but they were also so strong.

She sighed watching the woods. She had never been good at relationships. Before she joined the army, she had problems dealing with her empathy issue. Her mom was experimenting with her and different shrink techniques to help her. Her father was just a hardass that told her to man up. He would tell her that if she didn't make herself strong and unfeeling then the world would chew her up and spit her out.

After high school, she had decided to go into the army trying to follow in her father's footsteps. Of course, during that time she was busy with trying to become the only woman to join the Ranger division so she didn't even think about relationships. Then, when she finally was able to make it into the Rangers they had made her into a machine. After that, no guy wanted to be with someone who was stronger than them. They didn't want to be with someone who needed to leave at a moment's notice. They didn't want someone with all the baggage that she carried around.

So, she didn't blame Daryl for deciding to be with Sasha. It hurt but she would get over it. She had other things to worry about instead of her feelings. The blonde closed her eyes and leaned her head against the house. After a few moments, she heard the door to the balcony open and close.

She opened her eyes and she met steel blue. Ryder made sure to school her features so he didn't think anything was wrong. She didn't want to be the one to mess things up between the two adults. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to get in the way."

Daryl still had no idea what she was talking about. He had a pretty good idea that she thought something but it was wrong. He just didn't know what she was thinking. He didn't want to leave it like that between them just in case something did happen. "Ryder. I've still got no idea what you're talkin' 'bout."

She smiled at him. She needed to show him that she supported his decision. "You and Sasha. Good for you." Ryder turned back at the forest watching the tree line.

The hunter just looked at her like she had a second head. "What the hell you talkin' 'bout woman?"

She turned back around. "Aaron had said that you looked upset when we left to go hunting but when you came back you seemed better. I remembered that Maggie and Sasha were out in the woods but Maggie had come back. Sasha was still out in the woods. I get it. Good for you."

Daryl just watched the blonde. She thought that Sasha and him were an… item? Why the hell did she think that? Sure, she had just explained her reasoning and it was good reasoning if she didn't know him at all. She did know him though. Sasha was beautiful but she wasn't as strong as another woman he knew. She wasn't Ryder.

His brain stopped working when something finally dawned on him. Did he love Ryder? The tough blonde that had wormed her way into their group even if she herself didn't want to? The Ranger who was overly empathetic but had trained herself to be a better person and machine for her men and her group? The woman sitting in front of him who would sacrifice herself for everyone and anyone in their group because she would rather die than let someone from their group be lost? He could feel his heart beating quicker just looking at the woman sitting in front of him. She had stopped watching him during his realization. "You don't know what you're talkin' 'bout."

The blonde turned looking back at the hunter, but he startled her when he was closer than before. "What?" She looked up at him since she was still sitting on the railing.

"We ain't together. It's not like you think." Daryl finally realized that he needed the blonde in his life. She had somehow become everything to him and she had no idea. "I was feelin' that way 'cause I was dealin' with Beth's death. You told me to feel it so I did."

Ryder looked at him confused. "Where was Sasha then?"

Daryl just shrugged his shoulders. Right now, he didn't give a shit where anyone was. "You thought I was with Sasha?" The blonde kept watching him not saying anything. She didn't know what to say. She was watching him and he was intense right now. He was way more intense then she had ever seen him. "Why?"

"She's pretty. She's strong and independent. She's killer with any weapon." She looked up at him but he hadn't wavered.

"There's a couple women that fit the description in the group."

Ryder swallowed thickly. She tried to scooch her butt farther back on the ledge. She wasn't scared of the hunter standing in front of her but she didn't know what he was doing. "Daryl, what's going on?"

"You weren't wrong. Someone has caught my attention."

Ryder felt a tinge of jealousy in her heart again, but she stopped it immediately. "Who?" She choked out.

"Strong. Outspoken. Stubborn." Daryl watched her eyes. He needed to see her true reaction. She was too good at hiding her feelings behind her mask. When he had told her, he had his eyes on someone he didn't miss the jealousy that flared that she instantaneously shut down. He inwardly smirked to himself. He knew that she had felt something for him. That would be why she had been acting weird with him. It wasn't enough for other people to notice but it was enough for him to notice. "Difficult. Beautiful. She can sometimes be a hard ass."

Ryder watched Daryl as he was describing someone. He sounded like he was describing Michonne or even Rosita. She would say Rosita but she was with Abraham. She didn't think that he would go for someone who was already taken. "Don't worry. I won't tell Michonne. You're sec…"

Before she could continue what, she was saying Daryl leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss. She was stunned and dazed. She didn't expect him to catch her off guard like that. She felt his calloused hand come up to her neck and cheek. His thumb was moving slowly along her cheek.

Daryl couldn't stand it anymore. She wasn't getting what he was saying. She didn't believe that someone could like her beyond being a friend or an ally. He could have continued explaining but he was tired of using words. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her respond after her shock wore off.

They parted from each other but Daryl didn't drop his hand from her cheek. Ryder didn't know what to say. She was beyond confused. She didn't understand how Daryl could like anything about her. Sure, they made good friends. They understood each other but he knew things about her life that no one knew anymore. He still expressed that he liked her. She noticed that Daryl was about ready to say something but they heard cars pulling up to the house. Ryder turned around and Daryl looked passed her.

Ryder could see Michonne, Maggie, Glen, Abraham, and Rosita stepping out of the cars with a few armloads of food. "Looks like he was telling the truth."

I know I always ask but how did you guys like it? Finally, something positive is happening between Ryder and Daryl. The end of the story kind of got away from me but I don't mind how it happened. I'm sorry if Daryl seems out of character. Ryder seems to have had an effect on him.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Journey

**Chapter 15:** The Journey

Everyone gathered around in the kitchen. They had cleared off another table to put all the food they found in the RV. Rick looked at a few of the cans. He walked over addressing the other man. "These are ours now."

Aaron just nodded his head not fighting with him. "There's more than enough."

Rick turned. He wanted to make himself clear to the stranger. "These are ours whether or not we go to your camp."

Aaron was going to protest, but Carl interrupted first. "Why wouldn't we go?"

Michonne stepped forward. "If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us… but he isn't… and he doesn't. We need this. So, we're going, all of us." She paused looking around at everyone in their group. "Somebody say something if they feel differently."

Ryder took her chance to step forward. "I don't trust him."

Michonne stood her ground. "Ryder, you know that our group needs this."

"No, we don't. We have been surviving without the help of other people. Just because he said nice words and has food doesn't mean that he's safe."

"He hasn't lied to us yet." Michonne tried her damnedest to convince the blonde to follow the group.

Ryder threw her hands in the air. "Yet. That's exactly what I'm talking about. He hasn't lied to us yet. There's still a chance that he will lie to us."

"Ryder, we aren't like you."

The blonde stopped her pacing looking over to the dark-haired woman. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We can't keep running around on empty. We aren't machines like you are. We aren't trained for situations like this. We need this place, all of us."

Ryder stopped talking. She looked around at the entire group. She could see that even though they had been able to sleep in the house for a night, they were still exhausted. It wasn't the tired exhausted that they were before. They were exhausted of being out here. They needed a break. She saw what Michonne was saying. She just didn't trust Aaron or his offer. It sounded too good to be true.

The blonde walked over to the stranger sitting in the chair. She knelt down in front of him and looked at him directly in the eyes. She didn't waver, and she didn't blink. "If anything happens to anyone in this group then I will not hesitate to remove your head from your body." Before Aaron could say anything, she turned and walked through the crowd of people. She went upstairs not wanting to be around anyone right then. She pushed open the door making it slam into the side of the house. The blonde found the perch on the railing that she was so fond of.

Ryder looked down at the car and RV that was sitting in the driveway. She sighed to herself. If she had made the wrong call, then she wouldn't just kill the man sitting in the chair downstairs. If she had made the wrong call and ended up killing her group or most of them she would have to leave them. This group was the last one that she could be with. She couldn't keep coming into people's lives and ruining them with her stupid mistakes.

The blonde looked down, and she saw people loading their things into the two vehicles. She heard the familiar sound of the balcony door opening and closing behind her. She could tell with the sound of the steps on the wood that it wasn't Daryl. She turned from watching everyone loading to see that Rick had stepped out on the balcony with her.

"We have a plan." Rick hiked up Judith on his hip.

"What's that?" Ryder turned back watching everyone.

"Take Route 23 to the camp. He won't tell us how to get there fully, so we leave at night." Ryder just nodded her head understanding the plan. "Michonne, Glenn, Aaron, you and myself will be in the car while everyone else stays in the RV."

Ryder nodded her head again. She didn't disagree with the plan so far. She heard him start to leave the balcony. "Rick." The older man turned back around facing the blonde who was now looking at him. "I'm sorry for losing it earlier today. I didn't mean to make it sound like you didn't care about the group."

It was Rick's turn to nod his head in understanding. "I know. I also know how much you care for everyone. Don't worry about it."

Ryder just watched him leave through the door bouncing his baby daughter on his hip. She closed her eyes leaning her head against the house. She had to hand it to the man. She had an unlimited amount of respect for him. He was leading a group of 16 including himself. He was trying to raise a baby and a teenager during the end of the world. He was also trying to do all of it without having a wife around. If he wasn't super dad then she didn't know what to consider him.

It was almost pitch-black outside when everyone met around the cars. Ryder was watching everyone taking note. She wanted to make sure that everyone was in their correct place during the trip. If something went wrong, she didn't need anyone getting lost. She was the last one in the leading car. She was about ready to climb in when she felt a presence behind her.

The blonde turned closing the door. Daryl had been standing behind her waiting to talk to her. "Don't like you bein' in a separate car than me."

Ryder smiled at him. "It'll be fine. You will see me when we make it to the camp."

Daryl wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he stopped himself. He didn't know if she wanted him to, but he wasn't ready to let everyone else know. To be honest, he didn't know what they were. They hadn't made anything official. Right now, he didn't even know if she felt the same way he did. The hunter watched Ryder get into the car while he made his way over to the RV.

Glenn was driving the car with Rick in the passenger seat giving him directions on how to get to the camp Aaron told them. Aaron was sitting in the back between Michonne and Ryder. The blonde had heard everyone talking, but she didn't bother joining in. She was on alert since she didn't trust the man sitting next to her. She was waiting for the other boot to drop.

The blonde was watching the trees pass by as they made their way further away from the house they had been staying at. She turned in her seat looking back to see if the RV was behind them. She sighed inwardly happy that they hadn't been split up yet. Daryl was staying with them. She just wanted to get to the camp, so she didn't have to be so on edge about this entire thing.

Ryder leaned down grabbing the dog tags that she had wrapped around her ankle a long time ago. She laid them back around her neck grabbing hold of them. Whenever her squad would be caught in a dangerous situation, she would hang onto her dog tags. It reminded her that she was still alive. They reminded her that she was trained and that even if she couldn't trust anyone else in the world, she could trust herself. She closed her eyes breathing deeply gripping the tags.

She heard Rick open the glove compartment and heard metal rattling around. She opened her eyes as Aaron adjusted himself in his seat. "Um, I'm trying to collect all 50 states. Put them all on a wall in my house."

The word house didn't go unnoticed. She left it alone because he was probably just trying to get them excited about something that didn't exist. Michonne, on the other hand, believed the other man. "You have your own house?"

Ryder heard Aaron give Michonne a confirmation sound. "See for yourself."

The blonde closed her eyes keeping hold of her dog tags. She heard Michonne ruffling around in a bag. Ryder assumed she had grabbed the envelope that had the pictures in it. The blonde could hear Michonne flipped through the photos. She could hear the other woman start flipping through them faster until she stopped. "Why don't you have any pictures of your people?"

As soon as Michonne stopped talking Ryder's eyes shot open and looked over catching Michonne's eyes.

Aaron casually explained himself, but Ryder didn't believe anything he said. "Oh, I took a picture of the whole group, but I didn't get the exposure right. When I tried to develop it later, it just…"

Ryder was about ready to interrupt him, but Michonne beat her to it. "Did you ask him the questions?"

Ryder looked to the front seeing Rick half turn towards the back, glancing over at Glenn. "No."

Michonne stared at the man sitting next to her. She no longer looked so trusting of the other man. "How many walkers have you killed?"

Aaron looked between the two women. "I'm sorry, what?"

Ryder looked over at the man sitting between them. "Answer the damn question." She brought her hand down to her knife in her boot. If something happened while they were in the car, she wanted to be ready.

The blonde watched the man sitting next to her. She looked out of the corner of her eye, catching Glenn's eyes in the mirror. She glanced at Rick, but he didn't move from his position. She turned back to the man who was very obviously awkward and confused. "I don't know. A lot."

Without missing a beat, Michonne fired back another question. "How many people?"

"Two."

Ryder kept watching the guy. She glanced at Michonne. The other woman's eyes flashed to her but returned to Aaron. Ryder knew what Michonne was going to ask next. She had been asked the questions when Rick first found her in the woods. "Why?"

Aaron swallowed sharply. She could see that he felt uncomfortable admitting to what he had done. "Because they tried to kill me."

The blonde relaxed and she could see that Michonne was starting to relax a bit too. "It's still strange that you don't have any of your people in the photos."

Aaron smiled awkwardly. "I know. I assure you that there are people there. I'm not trying to trick you guys."

Ryder looked back out the window watching the trees go by and the walkers stumbling out of the woods. A few minutes later she heard the license plates moving around. She looked through the crack between the seat and the body of the car. She could see Rick looking at a piece of paper, but she couldn't read what was written on it with it being so dark.

Rick turned around looking at Aaron pointing to the paper. "What's this?"

Aaron leaned forward trying to see what Rick was talking about. "A list of your names."

"I see that. There's a yes next to some of the names and a maybe next to others."

Aaron moved around in his seat fidgeting. "I had to evaluate everyone in your group. It just means the chance you will be accepted into the community."

Ryder leaned up snatching the paper from Rick's grasp. She skimmed down the list. Her eyes stopped when she found her name. "Why is my name blank?"

The man sitting next to her didn't look over at the other woman.

The blonde moved into his space making him look at her. "What does this mean."

"I…it means you're the one that's going to have the hardest time getting into the community."

Ryder looked at Rick but went back to staring at Aaron.

Rick could see the look in the blonde's eyes. "If we don't all get to go then all of us are leaving."

Aaron looked around to all of them. "I'm sorry. It was only my job to find and evaluate people. I don't choose whether they are allowed in or not."

Glenn glanced behind him. "Why would Ryder hav…"

Ryder looked ahead of Glen at the road. "Glenn!" She pointed to the road.

Instead of hitting the brakes Glenn slammed on the gas.

"Glenn!" Rick yelled with his gun out.

"They are right behind us. They would have hit us. Now they can get through."

Ryder, Rick, Michonne, and Aaron were looking around out the windows as they were slowly being violently covered in blood from the walkers they kept hitting. By now Glen's windshield was completely covered in blood and walker body parts. Some must have gotten stuck under the car as they kept driving through because Glen spun out. Everyone was breathing heavy looking around, but they couldn't see anything around them.

All four of them stepped out of the car. Ryder and Glen ran to the front of the car wiping off the windshield and throwing pieces of walkers off the car. Rick and Michonne ran to the back of the road where they had just come from. "I don't see them."

Glen stood on top of the car trying to look over the heard of walkers that had covered the road they had just emerged from. "No, they're gone. They got away."

Ryder's stomach dropped when Glen had told the group that he couldn't see the RV.

Rick and everyone ran back to the car piling back in. "All right, we'll circle back around and find them. Let's go."

Aaron was taking deep breaths. "They're ok?"

Michonne didn't even look over at him. "Yeah."

While Rick was looking at the map, Glen took extra time to wipe off more blood from the windshield. He jumped back in the car just as Rick explained the new route. "All right, we can take a left a couple of miles up 23. Jefferson Avenue."

Aaron was looking around through all the windows. Especially, the back one since he could see all the walkers closing in on their car. "We got to get out of here."

Glen tried starting the car, but it just sputtered. The white, now red car wouldn't roll over and run as it had been. He kept trying to start it, but it wasn't going. Everyone could see the walkers getting closer.

"Michonne," Ryder yelled as she jumped out of the car. The blonde ran to the front pulling walker pieces out from the front of the car. Michonne ran around to the front with Ryder and helped pull more arms and guts from the front. The blonde was lifting the hood as much as she could while Michonne was trying to make a path for the engine.

Ryder heard Glen stop trying to start the car. She looked up and was about to yell at him to not stop, but that was when she noticed that all three of them were looking up in the sky behind her and Michonne. The blonde looked behind her in the sky seeing a flare dropping down over by the water tower.

Ryder and Michonne went around to the sides of the car they were sitting on. "Did you see that?"

Before Michonne could get a response while opening the door, the same door was thrust open knocking the other woman on her ass.

The blonde reacted instantly running around the car and into the woods. She could faintly hear Rick yelling after her to leave him alone and that they needed to find the rest of their group. She didn't care right now. If this was a trap and he was going to meet up with the other person, he had with him then she was going to follow him. She heard Michonne yell something at Rick, but she was too far into the woods to make out what she said.

Ryder was leaping and sprinting after Aaron. He had a head start, but she could still see him moving through the forest. "Aaron! Stop!"

She could see that he didn't show any sign of him stopping. Ryder pushed her legs faster to catch up to him. Finally, she was gaining on him. She got up behind him and tackled him to the ground. He was thrashing around yelling at her trying to get her to let him go.

"Shut up!" She yelled at him in her sergeant's voice. Aaron instantly stopped moving around trying to get her off him. She looked down at him. She could see that he was scared. He didn't seem like he was trying to betray them. He legitimately looked scared. It was like he may know who set off that flare and he was scared that something was going to happen to them. Ryder pulled her machete from her thigh and cut the rope that was binding his hands.

Ryder stood up no longer sitting on him. Before either of them could say anything, they heard gunshots going off in the distance. "Go ahead. I have other things to worry about."

The blonde started to leave to where she heard the gunshots, but Aaron stopped her. "Do you want to see Daryl again?"

She stopped looking at the other man from the corner of her eye. "Do you know where they are?" She started to pull her machete from her pouch not trusting the ominous way he was talking about the other people in the group.

Aaron held his hands up trying not to make himself look intimidating. "Just trust me. They are probably with my partner."

Both of them reacted to more gunshots going off in the distance. They seemed closer this time. "Come on." The blonde took off running in the direction of the shots.

It took them a minute to pinpoint where the shots were coming from, but finally, they ran into a clearing seeing Michonne and Rick trying to fight through a group of walkers. Ryder threw Aaron one of the other revolvers that she had grabbed. Aaron and her cleared the rest of the walkers with their guns.

Rick and Michonne turned around staring at the two of them. Aaron threw the gun in front of Rick with his hands up. "If you really want to tie me up again, that's fine, but hurry up."

Before Rick could answer Ryder spoke up. "Where's Glen?"

Michonne looked around behind her and Aaron. "We thought he was with you two."

The blonde just shook her head. "No. I haven't seen him since I left the car."

Aaron looked around frantically making sure no walkers were going to find them. "We need to hurry."

Ryder pointed the way to the highway. "Go with Aaron and see if you guys can go find the rest of the group. They are either the way of the flare, or they are on route 16."

Rick stepped forward. "I'm not leaving you out here alone."

She shook her head. "If you don't then we are all leaving Glen out here. Just go! I can find him and then I'll make my way toward the water tower where I saw the flare."

The other man hesitated, but Ryder just yelled at him to leave before he could say anything to stop her.

Rick sighed nodding his head. He turned and went the way to where route 16 was. Michonne did the same thing, and Aaron just watched her uncertainly.

Ryder didn't care. She couldn't leave another person out in the dark alone. Glen was still around her, and she was going to find him. She started to run around in the woods along the road that she knew was next to her. Instead of being silent she was yelling out Glen's name. She knew that it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she needed to make noise for him to find her. Whenever she came across a walker stumbling toward her, she used her desert eagle instead of her crossbow.

The blonde stopped for a minute catching her breath. She had been running for 15 minutes trying to find Glen. She hadn't heard anything around her other than the noise that she was making. She took in a breath and cupped her mouth with her hands. "Glen! Where the hell are you!"

"Ryder?" The blonde turned around seeing him emerge from a row of bushes.

The blonde sighed in relief. "Finally. I was beginning to think that I was never going to find you."

"Where's the rest of the group?"

"They went to the water tower where they saw the flare go off earlier." She took a couple big breaths calming down her heartbeat.

"Why are you still out here?"

Ryder moved through the bushes to the road. "I'm out here trying to find you. Now that I did we can go find the rest of the group."

Glen followed behind the blonde. "Thanks. I got turned around in all the walker chaos and trying to find Aaron."

The blonde Just waved her hand over her shoulder dismissing his thanks. "No need. You would have made it yourself. You were right next to the road." Ryder pushed a branch out of the way and stepped onto route 16. "I just couldn't go back knowing someone was still out here."

Ryder looked over at Glen. "Ready?"

Glen watched her confused. "For what?"

"It's a jog to the water tower." The blonde pointed up to the tower over all the trees.

Glen rolled his eyes wrapping his gun around to his back. "Let's go."

Ryder and Glen took off jogging toward the water tower in the distance. It had been a while since Ryder had run this much. The last time that she had run more than she had recently was when she was running from the herd that was at the prison.

They slowed down when there was a town in the distance. They could see into the town and noticed the RV parked next to a building. Ryder started walking with her desert eagle ready. She didn't know if she was walking into an ambush or not, but she was ready if she was. The blonde looked back at Glen who had his gun up too.

Ryder brought her hand up to her mouth when they entered the edge of town. She whistled the way they always did when they got separated and needed to get her groups attention. They walked further down the path, and she heard the return whistle noise.

The blonde smiled when she saw the hunter walk out from the edge of one of the buildings. She started jogging over to the group that had gathered outside at their arrival. Maggie ran out of the door and straight into Glen's arms. Rick walked over and put his hand on Ryder's shoulder. She looked up at his smiling face. "Thanks for making it back."

Ryder smirked at the other man. "You doubted me?"

Rick patted the woman's shoulder again and went into the garage they were currently held up for the night. The blonde was going to continue when she felt two arms wrap around her in a tight hug.

Ryder smiled hugging Maggie with one arm. She was still awkward at showing affection, but she was working on it and trying to get better. "Thank you for bringing him back."

"There's nothing to thank me for. Anyone of us would have done it."

The rest of the group piled into the door they had exited out of. Ryder decided to stay back and not go in quite yet. She walked over and sat on the hood of a car across from the door. Her smile that she had held when she saw her group faded.

Ryder couldn't stop thinking about what Aaron had said in the car before they hit that herd of walkers. She remembered looking at the list, and she was the only one that didn't have anything written by her name. She didn't even make it in the maybe category. Ryder sighed leaning back on her hands looking up at the stars. What would happen if the camp doesn't like her? What would happen if the rest of the group is invited in, but she isn't? Ryder knew that Rick was serious when he said that if their entire group isn't accepted, then they wouldn't stay but she couldn't be that selfish. She couldn't allow those people to live as they had been. Michonne even said they couldn't keep living like that. The blonde closed her eyes. She could live that way if she needed to. She was built that way. She was built to live alone and to survive at all costs. She needed to talk to Aaron and figure out if there was a huge chance that she wouldn't be accepted into the camp.

Before she could open her eyes and sit up, she felt the metal warp next to her. She opened one eye and saw that Daryl had made his way away from the group and had found her. Ryder leaned forward leaning her arms on her legs. She picked up a leaf that was on the hood and started picking at it. She was still feeling awkward with Daryl alone. She didn't know how to handle herself. Especially, when someone apparently liked her. That was newish territory for her.

"Didn't think I was gonna see you 'gain."

She looked over at Daryl. She could hardly hear what he was saying. Apparently, he was shy, and this was new to him too.

"You doubted me too?" Ryder smirked looking back at her mangled leaf.

"I trust you. Jus', not other people or walkers." Daryl looked over at Ryder looking through his hair.

Ryder didn't say anything. She just nodded her head a couple of times. She jumped down from the hood. "I need to go talk to Aaron." She gave him a small wave before walking back into the building.

The blonde made her way past people laying down trying to get some sleep or still awake doing things she couldn't see. She found her way into the back of the building. There she saw Aaron sitting next to another man she didn't recognize. Aaron and the other man looked up at her. She made a point to look at Aaron. "I need to talk to you."

Aaron was about ready to make an excuse to not leave the other man, but the stranger spoke up for him. "Go ahead. It's just a broken ankle. I'll be fine."

Ryder watched as the other man looked at the stranger and then led her over to a room away from everyone. She figured he knew what she wanted to talk about since he was making sure they were away from everyone. He walked over and stood in the doorway of a room making sure he could still see the other man laying down. Then, he turned his full attention to the blonde.

Ryder crossed her arms. "Am I going to be accepted into the camp."

"Community." Aaron corrected. "To be honest, I'm not sure. The rest of the group won't be a problem. Daryl and Rick may give our leader an issue, but she needs strong people."

Ryder squinted at the other man. She didn't understand why she was such an issue if Rick and Daryl wouldn't be for the leader. "Why am I different?"

Aaron shifted to his other foot. He brought his arms up and crossed them like she was doing. She watched him as he awkwardly avoided the question. "You like being out there."

Ryder rolled her eyes. "What?"

"You can deny it all you want." Aaron stepped back away from the woman in front of him half a step. "You like being out there." He pointed to the woods where Glen and her, had just come from. "Whether it's by yourself or with a group I can tell you would rather be out there in the woods surviving with the walkers than living in the community we have and the houses we live in."

"How do you know that?"

"I've been bringing people back to the community for a while. That means I must evaluate a lot of people. You aren't the first one that has had the same mentality."

Ryder watched the other man. "If your leader doesn't want me around then fine but just make sure they accept the rest of the group. They can't be out there any longer. I see that now." Before Aaron could say anything, she walked past him into the big room and sat down laying her crossbow next to her. She leaned against some shelving and closed her eyes.

The blonde heard someone clear their throat. She opened one eye looking over at the other guy Aaron was sitting next to. "I'm Eric. Nice to meet you." He smiled warmly.

Ryder half smiled. "Ryder." She closed her eyes again.

The blonde was sitting in the back of another rusted out car. Rick was driving with Michonne sitting next to him. This time Carl had Judith sitting next to her in the back seat. She sighed. She didn't want to leave. She had started to create something with these people. They were her family. Now she was going to be ripped away from them. Ryder looked ahead as Rick stopped the car. She watched the gates, but nothing was happening. Michonne and Rick were talking up front. She could see everyone getting out of the RV.

Ryder leaned over and grabbed Judith gently. She grabbed her blanket as she heard someone open the door next to her. She turned and handed Rick, his baby. After she got out of the car and walked up with everyone.

The blonde stayed in the back of the group. Everyone turned when they heard a commotion, and something knocked over a trash can sitting off to the side of the road. Daryl turned and immediately shot at an opossum trying to scurry away.

The gate opened just as Daryl picked up the animal with a bolt through its midsection. The people inside the community looked at their group somewhat disgusted. Daryl held up his kill to them. "We brought dinner." Ryder couldn't help but smirk. It was rare for him to make jokes but when he did, they were pretty funny. Even if no one else thought they were.

The group slowly made their way into the fences. Ryder was the last one through the gate. Everyone in the group watched as the gate closed behind them. There was a man standing off to the side. He walked over to them. "Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. Stay, you hand them over."

Rick walked forward. He still had his python drawn. "We don't know if we want to stay."

Aaron looked around to everyone. He turned to the other man. "It's fine, Nicholas."

Ryder stepped forward from behind everyone. She had her crossbow out like Daryl. "Trust us. If we wanted to use them, we would have already started."

"Let them talk to Deanna first." Aaron was going to continue, but the ginger in the back cut him off.

"Who's Deanna?"

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?"

The group walked further into the community. Aaron stopped by one of the houses. "This is my house. You guys are welcome to stay here until Rick gets back. Deanna is going to want to talk to all of you individually."

Rick walked over and handed Carl Judith. The group all made their way onto the porch while Rick was escorted a few houses down. Ryder didn't bother with going in the house. Aaron wasn't so bad anymore, but she couldn't be too sure about everyone else around there. The blonde sat on the front steps of the porch. She looked around at the white picket fences and all the nice lawns. It was like this place hadn't been touched by what was outside. The blonde laid on her back with one leg down and the other one propped up on the step. She closed her eyes.

Since she had talked to Aaron, she had been preparing how to tell everyone that she wouldn't be allowed to stay. Aaron had made it pretty obvious that she wouldn't make the cut. She could lie, but that would make the rest of the group look bad. She didn't need to get everyone kicked out because she wanted to be with the group. She couldn't blame Aaron or the people in the settlement though. He was right. She would rather be out among walkers instead of being like a caged animal behind the walls. She didn't want to forget what the world was like now because the people who forget get dumb and stupid and make terrible decisions that get them killed.

Ryder fell asleep waiting for her turn to talk to the leader. She wouldn't mind some sleep before she was grilled and kicked out.

The blonde felt herself being moved. She opened her eyes looking up at the ceiling of the house. She was still on the porch. She looked over and noticed Daryl was moving her side with his boot. "My turn?"

Daryl nodded his head. "Yup. Last one."

Ryder leaned up and hopped down off the porch. "Perfect." She made her way over to the house that she remembered Rick entered. She found the front door and knocked. There was a small blonde-haired woman that answered the door. She smiled warmly and let Ryder into her home.

She walked over and sat in the chair the other woman wanted her to sit in. The camera sitting behind the couch didn't go unnoticed. Her eyes swept around the room. She was trying to see if there was going to be any surprises waiting for her.

Ryder heard the other woman sit down across from her. "Do you mind if I film this?"

The blonde shrugged her shoulders not giving the woman a comment. She looked out the windows watching the people walk by.

"How long have you been out there?"

Ryder turned back to Deanna. "Since… it all started."

"How did you all find each other?"

"I'm sure you asked Rick all these questions."

Deanna nodded. "I did, but I want to hear what you have to say."

"I came across him and his group. He found me about a month later hunting in the woods by their compound."

Ryder saw Deanna adjust in her seat. Ryder didn't stop watching her. She wanted to see what this woman was like. "A month later?"

"I didn't want to join their group at first. Preferred to be out on my own."

"What did you do?"

"I don't think it matters anymore does it?"

Deanna smirked. "Rick thought the same thing. It does matter. Trust me."

She watched the other woman. They were both staring each other down. They both weren't giving away any tells or way to read each other. Ryder had to hand it to the other woman she was good. She gave up and looked out the window again. "Army Ranger. Special Ops."

"Will you be able to live in a community like this?"

This was the question. She assumed that Deanna had gotten all the information from her that she needed. She didn't need to answer her question. "I think the better question is will you allow me to live in this community."

Ryder noticed the shock on the older woman's face, but she schooled back her cool demeanor. "Daryl was in here right before you were. He wouldn't sit. He seemed like he didn't want to be here, but I could tell that he really wanted to. I could see that he wanted himself and everyone to try to have a life here."

Ryder leaned forward looking the woman in the eyes. She leaned her arms on her knees. "What about me?"

"You don't. You show on the outside that you want to be here, but you don't. The opposite of the way he felt."

The blonde stood and grabbed her crossbow. "Don't hurt my people or I will come back." She scowled down at the older woman. She didn't flinch away from her like most people would.

Ryder left the house slamming the door shut. She walked down the road but instead of stopping at the house they had all been gathered at she didn't stop. She grabbed the strap of the crossbow and kept walking. She saw Daryl take off after her after calling Rick from the house.

The blonde stopped walking and turned around to meet Daryl and Rick. The hunter was the first one to speak. "Where are you goin'?"

"I don't belong here, and Deanna knows it. What do you think that interview was for?"

Rick stepped forward. "Then we are all leaving."

Ryder smiled at the older man. "I can't ask you to do that."

She could see that Daryl was starting to get worked up. "Not askin' us for nothin'. You ain't leavin'."

"You guys need this. This community will be good for all of you. You guys can't stay out there any longer."

Rick didn't say anything. She knew that he knew she was right. They couldn't keep having close calls out there. This community was a great thing to happen.

The hunter turned looking at Rick. "You can't be serious. You're goin' let her jus' walk out?" Rick didn't respond. "I'm goin' with."

He was about ready to turn and go get his crossbow, but Ryder stopped him. "You can't leave Daryl. These people need you." He was going to protest again, but she stopped him. "You want to be here as much as they do. Even if you don't outwardly show it."

The hunter couldn't say anything after that. Rick spoke up again. "Be safe."

Ryder smiled sadly. "Always. Make sure you guys watch out for one another no matter what."

The blonde turned and made her way to the gate. She heard the gate opening, but then she couldn't believe her ears. "Jordyn?"

Ryder stopped walking but didn't turn around. There wasn't any way that it could be her.

Slowly, she turned around and sure enough there she was. "Victoria?"


	16. Chapter 16 - Forgotten Friends

**Chapter 16:** Forgotten Friends

Ryder couldn't believe who was standing right in front of her. "Victoria?"

The brunette standing behind Daryl and Rick wasn't moving. She was staring at Ryder in amazement just like Ryder.

Daryl and Rick stepped aside moving out of the way of the two women.

Before anyone knew it, Victoria screamed and took off making a bee line to the blonde. She tackled her to the ground in a hug.

Daryl and Rick looked at each other confused. They could hear her crying and saying stuff to Ryder but they couldn't make out what she was saying from where they were standing.

Ryder had hit the ground harder than she wanted. Victoria was sobbing on her shoulder. The blonde finally was able to get her hands up and pushed the other woman off. She stood up rubbing her elbow that had hit the pavement when she fell. The brunette got up and wiped her face where the tears were falling. She had a huge smile on her face.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Stop crying."

"How could you say that to me? I thought you were dead!" Victoria grabbed onto Ryder again.

Ryder stood still not hugging her back since the other woman had her arms trapped at her sides. After a minute she shook the other woman off. "V. Stop hugging me. I should be more shocked you're alive."

The brunette pouted with her arms crossed. "That isn't fair. Just because you were in the Army and I wasn't doesn't mean I'm completely helpless."

Rick and Daryl decided to walk over to the two women. Rick looked between the two of them but didn't say anything.

Ryder watched both of them. "Rick, Daryl this is Victoria. She's an old friend…"

Victoria cut Ryder off before she could continue. "Excuse me." The brunette threw her arm over Ryder's shoulder. She needed to reach up a little higher since Ryder was taller than her. "We have been best friends since birth pretty much. I wouldn't even use best friends. We're sisters." Victoria sported a huge bright smile.

Ryder rolled her eyes and shook the other woman's arm off her. She couldn't help but let out a small smile. It had been a long time since she had seen V. She didn't want to think about her being dead but she always forced herself to expect the worse.

Rick nodded his head in understanding.

Before he could say anything, Victoria cut him off. "Oooh, J you have been traveling with these hotties?" Victoria walked around behind them and then came around to the front unabashedly checking both of them out.

Ryder could tell her friend was making both of them feel awkward. She had that affect on people. She was very bubbly and very direct. They were completely opposite of each other but somehow, they stayed best friends throughout everything that was thrown at them. "Come on, V. Knock it off. You're making them uncomfortable."

The brunette just smiled knowing what she was doing. Finally, Victoria's smile faltered. She looked at Ryder seeing all the weapons on her. "Where were you going?"

Daryl watched Ryder. He still didn't want the other woman to go but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He wasn't so sure about her friend though. She seemed annoying and overly happy. He didn't understand how they could be friends. Ryder was nothing like the other woman. "She was leavin'."

Victoria looked at the hunter. "Sexy accent too." She nudged the blonde. "You need to keep him before someone else grabs him." She winked at the hunter who now was sporting a tinge of red on his cheeks.

Ryder rolled her eyes again. She glanced back at Daryl then back at Victoria. "Knock it off."

Victoria changed the subject. "Why are you leaving?"

The blonde was going to explain but she looked behind her seeing Deanna walking to the gate. "Ask her." She pointed to the older woman.

The brunette turned and waited for Deanna to come up to the group that was now forming around them.

"What's going on here?" Deanna asked.

Victoria turned facing their leader. "Why is she leaving?"

Deanna looked at Ryder waiting to see if she was going to say something. When she knew that Ryder wasn't going to talk she looked back at Victoria. "She doesn't belong here. She isn't one of us."

Ryder stepped back away from her friend. She wasn't like Ryder with her explosive temper but she was very loyal to her friends. If something happened to one of them and she could do something about it then she was going to do anything in her power to get her way.

"What do you mean she doesn't fit in here? You're allowing the rest of her group to stay but she can't?" Victoria crossed her arms.

"She is better suited living out there." Deanna pointed beyond the gate. "Living like this..." She motioned to the rest of the community. "…isn't something that she wants. You should know that if she's your friend."

"She is my friend. I know her. We need her here. I'm not sure about the rest of the group but if they are good enough to be let in then she is too."

Deanna didn't say anything. She stared at the other woman trying to figure out what she wanted. "You knew her. When was the last time you saw her?"

Victoria faltered a bit. "It's been a few years." She turned and watched Ryder for a second. The blonde still didn't say anything. She didn't need to. She knew that Victoria was going to say everything that she needed. "I don't need to be around her every day to know her. She deserves to be here as much as anyone."

The older woman was going to interject again but someone else came up to the group.

A tall man about the same age as Ryder and Victoria walked up to the group that was talking. He didn't take his eyes off Ryder who was standing off to the side.

The blonde was rubbing her temples. She hated when other people argued over her. It was pointless. Deanna wasn't going to let her stay. Ryder looked up and stopped what she was doing. She didn't take her eyes off the man approaching them. How could she have forgotten that he was married to Victoria? She didn't even think to ask the brunette if he was here. Ryder walked forward standing about five feet in front of him.

The other man stood up straight with his hands pointed at his sides. Ryder matched him. He brought his right hand up into a salute. "Sergeant."

Ryder brought her right hand up saluting the man in front of him. "Corporal."

She dismissed him and they both relaxed their posture. The group that had been talking stopped. They didn't know exactly what was happening. Victoria was the only one smiling. She knew exactly what was happening between the two.

Ryder didn't move from her spot. "It's been a long time."

The other man just nodded. "Yes, it has." He couldn't hold the stoic face anymore. He gave up, grabbing the blonde and capturing her in a hug. This time Ryder didn't stop it. She embraced him fully unlike she did with Victoria.

They took a minute to just stand there. She pulled away from him. "Damn, Justin. I'm so damn happy to see you alive."

Justin smiled at the other woman. "I would say the same thing sarg but you're invincible."

Ryder laughed and rolled her eyes. "I wish." She paused. "Justin you don't have to call me sarg anymore. You haven't had to call me that in a long time."

The other man just shrugged, smiling. "I like using it. It fits, don't you think? Sarg."

Ryder watched Justin but she dismissed him with a wave. "Whatever."

Deanna had finally had enough of reunions. "What the hell is going on here?"

The blonde looked at Justin. Justin looked at Victoria. Victoria looked back at Ryder. The blonde sighed. "Fine. All three of us grew up together. We lived together in a cul-de-sac when we were younger and went to the same schools." She looked at her two friends. She was missing someone but he had been missing for a long time. She didn't need to include him in her explanation. He was only important to the three friends anymore. "Justin and I went into the Army together and V went to school to be a doctor. You guys probably knew that already though. I was Justin's superior before I was sent to Fort Benning in Georgia."

Justin looked at Ryder noticing she had all her weapons like Victoria had. "Where are you going?"

Ryder sighed looking over at her friend. "I'm not welcome here. I don't belong in civilian life."

"That's bullshit." Justin took a harsher tone than Victoria originally had. He looked over at Deanna. "If you let her go through that gate you will be making a big mistake."

The older woman didn't back down from the other man. "Why's that?"

"Because she was the best damn soldier that the Ranger's had when we were deployed."

Ryder wanted to disagree with him but she wasn't going to interrupt. She had been having this conversation with him ever since they joined the Rangers. He thought she was a hero that deserved to be put on the highest pedestal possible but she didn't think the same thing.

"That was when you two were deployed. We aren't at war anymore."

Justin looked around. "Are we seeing the same thing? Yes, we are. The war may be different than what we fought against in Iraq but it's still a war. She is the best trained out of anyone here. She's the toughest and is going to act the quickest if something happens."

Ryder continued to stay silent even though she wanted Justin to stop praising her. Their group had been standing in the road long enough to grab the attention of most people who were wondering around in the afternoon. She didn't need the other people to hear everything he was saying about her.

"She was one of the only people I whole-heartedly trusted to have my back when we were in Iraq. That hasn't changed even though there are dead people walking around beyond these barriers instead of insurgents with assault rifles."

Deanna held up her hand stopping his rant. She walked over to the blonde. "You can stay… but if you cause too many problems I will exile you."

Ryder stared at the other woman. She didn't like the leader. It could have been because their leader didn't like her or maybe it was because she was too naïve about the world around them. "Fine." Ryder would agree so she could be with her group. She no longer wanted to part with them. She didn't want to be stuck in the cage around her but she would just leave the fence whenever she got too restless.

The blonde grabbed the strap of her crossbow staring at the other woman. She may be their leader but she wasn't going to back down. It wasn't in her nature. She turned away from the gate and walked through the group that had formed. They parted letting her go through. Victoria grabbed hold of Justin's hand. The couple followed after their friend. Daryl and Rick began walking after the couple. They were all making their way to the house that the new group had been camping out in for the afternoon.

Daryl watched as they made their way to the house. His eyes weren't leaving Ryder's back. She was different. Well, maybe she wasn't different but the people around her didn't seem like the people that she would associate with normally. He didn't have much room to talk though. He had gotten to know her after the world fell. These people knew her before when everything was normal. Victoria had been her friend forever and Justin had served with her.

The hunter shoved his hands in his pockets. He could see the bouncing brunette hair of her friend. She was so bubbly and she was annoying compared to the cool and calculating blonde that he had gotten to know. He didn't understand how two people so opposite of each other could be so close.

Ryder stepped onto the porch. She walked into the house slamming the door open. She walked into the kitchen and stopped seeing Carol busying herself. "What the hell happened to you?"

Carol smiled sweetly. She grabbed the edges of her new cardigan. "My new job." Ryder looked at her confused. The older woman stopped smiling. "I'm making food for people who can't and the elderly." Ryder slowly nodded her head. She understood but she wasn't understanding at the same time. "This way I get to meet a lot of the neighbors."

Before Ryder could continue, the rest of the people following her came in through the front door. The blonde turned around and jumped up onto the counter sitting. Carol walked around the corner handing the younger woman an apple. "I haven't saw you eat anything since we got here. Eat."

Ryder grabbed the apple taking a bite out of it. "Yes, mother."

Carol smacked her in the shoulder walking around back into the kitchen continuing what she had been doing before Ryder interrupted her. Justin and Victoria walked in sitting on the bar stools. Rick and Daryl leaned against the wall and doorway of the kitchen.

Justin crossed his arms. "Sarg. I know you won't like it but you're going to have to hand your weapons over to the locker. We don't carry inside the walls but you can check them out whenever you need."

Ryder looked at everyone around her. "You're serious?" She stopped on Justin.

All he could do was nod.

Ryder scoffed. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She jumped down from the counter taking another bite from her apple. "People stay behind these big god damned walls and they feel completely safe."

The blonde walked down to where she had noticed people handling guns when she had gone to get interrogated by Deanna. She entered the garage and a woman was standing there with thick black rimmed glasses. She pulled out her desert eagle and another revolver handing them over. The woman walked over and grabbed them hesitantly. "Be careful with that one." Ryder motioned to the desert eagle. "If anything happens to it I'll have your head." The blonde smiled but it was a sickeningly sweet smile, one that told the woman with glasses to watch it because she wasn't joking. Ryder took another bite of the apple while the other woman just gulped at her threat.

Ryder turned on her heels and left the garage. She kept eating her apple as she made her way back to the house. She had kept her knives and her crossbow because she wasn't going to walk around completely unarmed. She wasn't that stupid like everyone else in the town.

The blonde walked up onto the porch of the house where Daryl was sitting cleaning his crossbow. Ryder walked over and plopped down in one of the chairs that had been placed on the deck. She put her combat boots on the table looking over at Daryl who was sitting across from her on the deck railing. Ryder let out a sigh, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Too many things had happened today, and she was beat.

Daryl watched the blonde relaxing in front of him. He wanted to ask her all the questions he had swirling around in his brain, but he didn't think she wanted to talk. When she was around he changed from what he was used to. It was like he wanted to talk to her. He didn't care about talking to anyone else or asking them questions. Ryder made him want to ask her questions. He wanted to know what she was thinking and her past before she met him.

The hunter paused with cleaning his crossbow. "Is it nice seein' your friends again?"

Ryder smiled but kept her eyes closed. "Yeah, I haven't seen them in a long time. It's comforting knowing they are still alive."

Daryl paused nodding his head. "How long have all of you been friends?"

"Honestly? For as long as I can remember. Justin and I joined the service together, but we had known each other before that." Ryder opened one eye watching the hunter in front of her. "Remember Matt? I told you about him that one night."

Daryl didn't have to say anything. He remembered everything she told him. He just simply nodded waiting for her to continue.

"He also joined with us. We were all friends when we were kids. I met V first. She was a smaller kid and she got picked on a lot for being smart. She was the daughter of doctors, so she was raised to be smart." Ryder smiled at the fond memory. "The other kids didn't like that, so they picked on her. I just happened to be playing in my yard one day and she was being picked on. I went over and beat up the boys who were picking on her. Then, she just kind of followed me around from there."

Daryl wasn't surprised with Ryder's story. He could see that she was the protective type. He didn't have to know that she was overly empathetic to a fault. He didn't need to know any of her backstory. She had done everything in her power to help their group before she was officially brought in. When Justin had talked about her being a hero he wasn't wrong. At the time, he had watched Ryder and the way that she reacted to the word hero made it painfully obvious she didn't agree. "What about Justin and Matt?"

"They came by a few years later. Matt went to the same school as us, but I never really talked to him. Justin moved to the area. He and Matt became friends first and then Justin had a crush on me." Ryder started to laugh a little. Not much and not too loud but she was laughing. "He would follow me around like a little puppy, but I had no interest in him."

The hunter cracked a small smile. He didn't know if he had ever heard the blonde laugh like she was now. She would smile and scoff and make noises that could be akin to a laugh but not full-blown laughing. He couldn't help but think that she had a beautiful laugh. He wanted her to laugh more often. He wanted to make her laugh more often. Daryl watched her face. She seemed relaxed and care-free thinking about the past in this moment. She wasn't worried about the group and she wasn't worried about walkers roaming around or when they would get their next meal. Nothing mattered except her story right now. "I like it."

Ryder paused her laughing. "The story?" She shrugged her shoulders about read to continue but she was cut off my Daryl.

The hunter was shaking his head. "Your laugh."

The blonde paused stunned. Did Daryl Dixon just give her a compliment? Was he being sweet right now? He had been a little bit when they were just alone, and he had admitted that he liked her. They had shared a couple kisses but that was it. Now he was outwardly giving her compliments. A small tinge of red spread across her face. She cleared her throat. "After a few more years Justin got over his little crush that he had on me and we were all just friends. In high school he asked out V and they have been together ever since."

Daryl just smirked and watched the flustered blonde in front of him. This whole thing was new to him. He wasn't used to being so bold with comments or actions. The strong woman in front of him made him like that. Obviously, he wouldn't outwardly be like that in front of people but when it was just the two of them together he didn't mind flustering the Ranger.

The two of them just sat in a comfortable silence after Daryl's comment. Ryder leaded back in her chair with her eyes closed thinking about the gruff hunter. She was seeing different sides of him that she didn't know existed and it made her happy that he allowed her to see it and no one else.

The two have been sitting there for a while. Neither of them knew exactly how long it had been. Ryder had her eyes closed but she could smell perfume. She inwardly rolled her eyes. "Stop staring at me." She heard the other woman laugh. The blonde opened her eyes looking over at the brunette who was staring at her. "A picture will last longer."

Victoria just smiled at her friend. "We haven't seen each other in so long and all you can do is be mean to me."

Ryder rolled her eyes. "You're too sensitive."

The brunette scoffed. "You're one to talk." She was going to say something else, but she stopped herself. Victoria glanced at Daryl for half a second but then returned to Ryder. She was awkward because she didn't know what the hunter knew and she didn't want to give away information about Ryder unwillingly.

"He knows. Don't worry about it."

Daryl squinted looking between the two women. He didn't say anything. He was content with just listening. This was a chance to see Ryder the way she was with her friends before the world died.

Victoria couldn't help the shock that crossed her face. "You told him about…?" She didn't continue because she didn't know if they were thinking about the same thing.

"Yes, V. I told him about being hyper-empathetic. You don't need to look so shocked." Ryder looked over at Daryl. She noticed that he was cleaning his crossbow. She sighed. It had been a while since she cleaned her bow. Since they were sitting here doing nothing she should make herself useful and actually clean hers too. The blonde sat up grabbing her bow and started disassembling it and cleaning the parts.

Victoria watched her best friend. "Has Deanna assigned you a job yet?"

"Nope." Ryder looked up from what she was going. "She doesn't even want me here. I doubt she would let me do anything." She looked at Daryl. "Has she given you anything to do yet?"

The hunter shook his head. "Nope."

Ryder nodded slowly, thinking. She looked back at her bow continuing to clean. "She may give me something she deems difficult so she can see me mess up. That way if I mess up too many times she will have a reason to exile me."

"She wouldn't do that."

Ryder paused looking at her friend like she was an idiot. "You're joking right? You were there. Justin was barely able to convince her to let me stay." She continued again. "He lied to Deanna just to get her to let me stay."

Victoria didn't respond to her right away. "You know that isn't true. Justin didn't lie about anything he said about you. You are an amaz…"

The blonde stopped what she was doing looking up at her friend sharply. "Don't."

The brunet kept watching Ryder. "Are you going to the party tonight?"

"Does it seem like I'm going to the party tonight?"

Victoria kept quiet. She just watched her friend ignore her. "You don't need to be so guarded. I'm still who I was before everything. So is Justin."

Ryder paused what she was doing. She kept staring at her bow not wanting to see the look on Victoria's face. "Well, I'm not."

Her friend wasn't going to back down. "You're just trying to push people away. You did this before too. You're my best friend and I'm not going to let you drift away from me… not when I just got you back." Victoria kept staring at her friend making sure she understood the meaning and felt the emotion behind her words. "You haven't changed. You only think you did."

Ryder had enough of listening to her friend. "You don't know me anymore." The blonde stood up slamming her hands on the table staring the brunette down, pissed. "I haven't been behind walls this entire time. I haven't been in the safety of houses and having people around. Unlike you I have been out there." Ryder pointed to the woods beyond the wall. "I have fought every day of my life being out there. You have no idea what I have had to go through and the things I have seen." The blonde pushed the chair out of her way turning and moving toward the stairs. Before she left she stopped at the edge. "Don't say I haven't changed if you don't know what I've been through."

Victoria watched her friend leave the porch. She looked over at Daryl trying to figure out if what just happened was real. He wasn't saying or doing anything. He just kept to himself cleaning his bow.

Ryder was walking down the street with her hands in her pockets. She had calmed down pretty quickly after her argument with Victoria. This wasn't the first argument they had and it wouldn't be the last. Sometimes the older woman just got on her nerves and she needed a break from her.

The blonde looked around at all the houses that surrounded her. Even before everything happened she would have never been able to live in these types of houses. This subdivision was a place for the wealthy and sane. Her family was everything except wealthy and sane. She sighed walking over to a bench swing watching the kids play on the playground the community had.

She had to hand it to them. This place was nice. If she was a different person. If she was someone who was married and had kids this place would have been perfect. But, she wasn't any of those things. Looking around she could see people milling about but these people weren't like her. Deanna had made that painfully obvious. She had always known she was different compared to her friends and people she acquainted with but she didn't see it until she was in a situation like this. This perfect little life, hidden away and safe wasn't the life for her.

Ryder lost track of how long she had been sitting on the bench watching everyone. She looked around finally taking notice around her. It wasn't completely dark but it was close. The shades of oranges, yellows, and reds were fading into dark purples and blacks. The blonde stood up from her seat she had occupied for hours and leisurely walked back to the houses that the group was sharing.

She walked in and everyone was on alert instantly. When the group noticed it was Ryder they stood down. Rick walked over to her. "Where have you been?"

Ryder just shrugged. "Out and about. Just walking around checking the place out."

The older man just nodded his head in understanding. He had wanted to do that too. He just hadn't had the time yet.

The blondes expression changed looking hard at Rick's face. "You clean up well." She smiled patting him on the shoulder walking behind him into the living room. She went over and say next to Daryl on the windowsill since their group took up a majority of the living room.

Rick just rolled his eyes smiling at the blonde woman. He had getting reactions from most of the group.

Ryder was picking at her nails when she felt a nudge to her elbow. She looked over catching Daryl watching her through his hair. "You okay?"

She just nodded her head. He must have been talking about her argument with Victoria since he had been there for the whole conversation. She lowered her voice so everyone else didn't hear her. "Yeah, that happens all the time. She pushes too much sometimes. I just need to get away from her every once and a while." Ryder smiled looking down at her hands again. "She means well."

Daryl watched the woman sitting next to her. She was all over the place. He couldn't read her at all. At times she gave him whiplash with her emotions. He was going to ask her something else but that was when the entire group heard a knock at the door.

Ryder looked up watching as Rick opened the door. She saw the Deanna was on the other side of the door. She rolled her eyes at the woman. She sure did have the whole politician acting down. When she talked to the rest of the group she was nice and sweet but when she talked to Ryder she couldn't hold back the hate. The blonde had been reading people for a long time. She could see the hate that the woman had for her for some unknown reason.

Rick and Deanna were talking about settling in and about how everyone had decided to sleep in the same house instead of splitting everyone up between the two houses they were given.

Ryder perked up when she heard Rick mention jobs. "I've heard that you have been giving my people jobs."

Deanna smiled sweetly. "Yes, that's part of what we do here." Ryder watched her look around to the group. She didn't miss that Deanna skipped over her. "I have one for you Rick. Just need to get some stuff squared away." The older woman looked over to Michonne who was standing behind Rick. "I have one for Michonne too." Her eyes scanned over the group landing on Sasha. "I'm in the process of placing Sasha too." Her fake sweet eyes landed on Daryl who was right next to Ryder. Still the woman refused to look at her. "I'm still trying to figure Mr. Dixon out." Deanna smiled at Rick. "I'll let you guys get some rest."

Daryl looked over at Ryder once Deanna left. That woman had it out for his friend and he didn't know why. By the looks of Ryder, she didn't know why the other woman disliked her too. It was obvious. When the community's leader was around anyone else either part of their group or not she was sweet. When it came to Ryder she either didn't acknowledge her or she said something mean to her. Daryl leaned over to the woman sitting next to her. "She assign you a job yet?"

Ryder kept watching the door even after the evil woman left. She was so confused as to why Deanna hated her so much. Sure, she wasn't the first person to hate her, but she was the first to hate her for no reason. "No, she hasn't. It doesn't seem like I'm getting one either."

 **(A/N) How many times can I say that I'm sorry. I've been working on this chapter forever and I had personal stuff happen right I started writing this chapter. I want to finish this story, so I can work on some other stuff. Just hang in there with me everyone! I promise that I won't let this story die.**


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